The order in which Member States will hold the Presidency is made in advance by a decision of the Council. This is the result of legal provisions concerning the Presidency stated in Article 16 of the Treaty on European Union:
"The Council shall consist of a representative of each Member State at ministerial level, authorized to commit the government of that Member State.
The office of President shall be held in turn by each Member State in the Council for a term of six months in the order decided by the Council acting unanimously."
The order in which the Presidency will be held by Member States in the Council was established by the Council Decision of January 1, 2007 determining the order in which the office of President of the Council shall be held (2007/5/EC, Euratom), where the rotation is outlined until 2020.
Presidency 2004 - 2020
| 2004 | january - june july - december |
Ireland Netherlands |
| 2005 | january - june july - december |
Luxembourg Great Britain |
| 2006 | january - june july - december |
Austria Finland |
| 2007 | january - june july - december |
Germany Portugal |
| 2008 | january - june july - december |
Slovenia France |
| 2009 | january - june july - december |
Czech Republic Sweden |
| 2010 | january - june july - december |
Spain Belgium |
| 2011 | january - june july - december |
Hungary Poland |
| 2012 | january - june july - december |
Denmark Cyprus |
| 2013 | january - june july - december |
Ireland Lithuania |
| 2014 | january - june july - december |
Greece Italy |
| 2015 | january - june july - december |
Latvia Luxembourg |
| 2016 | january- june july - december |
Netherlands Slovakia |
| 2017 | january - june july - december |
Malta Great Britain |
| 2018 | january - june july - december |
Estonia Bulgaria |
| 2019 | january - june july - december |
Austria Romania |
| 2020 | january - june |
Finland |
The order of the Presidency (Trio)
In accordance with the changes in the way the Presidency is held in the Council of the European Union, proposed in the Treaty of Lisbon and in current practice, closer cooperation than before is envisaged between the three Member States holding the Presidency in succession. However, contrary to popular belief, this is not about the cooperation of the nation holding the Presidency with its predecessor and successor, but about a strictly determined trio of states following each other in succession.
The cooperation between the states in this trio fulfils a number of key objectives. First and foremost, it ensures a certain stabilization of political programming, and along with this a continuity in the work of EU institutions. Apart from this, it safeguards against the state which is holding the Presidency forcing through its own interests, which are frequently incompatible with the general interests of the community. One has to bear in mind the fact that, as a consequence of enlargement, the Presidency must be held by new and inexperienced states. Cooperation in the trio allows them to obtain support in this serious political undertaking from old EU member states and minimizes the possible risk of failure to fulfil their obligations.