The EU Presidency: A conversation with the Consuls General of Germany and Portugal in San Francisco

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In January 2021, Portugal has assumed the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union from Germany, while facing the twin pressures of dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic and implementing the Brexit agreement.

IES hosted a conversation with Hans-Ulrich Südbeck, consul general of Germany in San Francisco and Maria-João Lopes Cardoso, consul general of Portugal in San Francisco, on the presidency of the EU Council. With Consul Südbeck, we look back at the German presidency, driven by the motto "Together for Europe's Recovery," that ended in December of 2020, and look forward to the priorities of Portugal who will assume the presidency in 2021. We pay particular attention to the EU Recovery Plan to overcome the consequences of the coronavirus crisis.

The presidency of the Council rotates among the EU member states every 6 months. Member states holding the presidency work together closely in groups of three, called 'trios'. The trio sets long-term goals and prepares a common agenda determining the topics and major issues that will be addressed by the Council over an 18 month period. On the basis of this program, each of the three countries prepares its own more detailed 6-month program. The current trio is made up of the presidencies of the Germany, Portugal and Slovenia.
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