1. Introduction: Ramona Coman, Olivier Costa and Vivien Sierens
2. Theorising the presidency of the Council – Uwe Puetter
I. The Presidency of the Council in the EU political system
3. Presiding in the shadows. The rotating Council Presidencies as structures of opportunity for the legitimization of the European Union – François Foret and Yann Sven Rittelmeyer
4. Evolving relations between the European Council and the Council of the European Union since the implementation of the Lisbon Treaty - Martin Westlake and Oriane Gilloz
5. EU Council Presidencies and the European Council Presidency: cooperation and competition beyond the formal rules – Wolfgang Wessels and Lucas Schramm
6. The changing relations between the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament in times of crisis: between continuity and changes – Vivien Sierens and Thijs Vandenbussche
II. The Council presidency in action
7. The presidency of the Council – managing differentiated integration in times of crisis - Michele Chang and Raquel Ugarte
8. How democratic is the (co-)legislator when most needed? A journey into the internal working of the Council during the Covid crisis - Antoine Misonne and Sofia Vandenbosch
9. How does the Council legitimise the EU’s response to international crises? The role of emotions in the Foreign Affairs Council’s discourse on Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 – Seda Gürkan
10. Dealing with the rule of law dissensus in the Council of the EU. Insights from Article 7 TEU hearings - Ramona Coman and Pauline Thinus
11. Does the Council Presidency still have an influence? The case of the 2022 French Presidency - Olivier Costa and Aurélien Mornon-Afonso
III. The organizational challenges of the Presidency
12. Rotating Presidencies, Rotating Sponsors? Corporate Sponsorship of EU Council Presidencies since the Lisbon Treaty – Benjamin Bodson and Alberto Alemanno
13. EU The Entourage of the Presidencies in Times of Polycrisis: Tensions in the Engine Room? Evolving relationship dynamics between permanent representatives, political advisors, and civil servants within the Council – Oriane Gilloz
14. Conclusion: Ramona Coman, Olivier Costa and Vivien Sierens
Ramona Coman is Professor in Political Science at the Université libre de Bruxelles, member of the CEVIPOL and Emeritus President of the Institut d’études européennes, Belgium.
Olivier Costa is Research Professor at the CNRS, CEVIPOF, Sciences Po (Paris), France. He is also Director of European Political and Governance Studies at the College of Europe (Bruges), Belgium.
Vivien Sierens is a Belgian diplomat. Holder of a PhD in political and social sciences (ULB & VUB), he is also an associate researcher at the Université libre de Bruxelles (CEVIPOL), Belgium.
“The authors demonstrate that the Council of the European Union, though imperfect and undoubtedly impervious to reform, manages to strike a balance between national interests and the need for supranational action.”
-Jean-Paul Jacqué, Honorary Director General, Council of the EU, Emeritus Professor of EU Law at the University of Strasbourg, France
“EU Council Presidencies in Times of Crises is a highly topical and welcome publication and merits the attention of all those who want to understand the EU.”
-Jim Cloos, TEPSA Secretary-General, Former Senior EU Civil Servant
“EU Council Presidencies in Times of Crisis is required reading for anyone interested in European institutions.”
-Sabine Saurugger, Professor of Political Science, Director of Sciences Po Grenoble, France
The Council of the EU is a powerful institution whose centrality has been challenged by the Treaty of Lisbon. More than ten years after this major institutional revision, this book examines its role within the EU political regime and its interactions with other institutions. It explores how the Council Presidency has navigated major crises over the past decade and addressed internal challenges. The various chapters discuss key timely questions: How has the relationship between the Council and the European Council evolved over time? To what extent have the recent crises reshaped the relationship between the Council and the European Parliament, as well as its interactions with the Commission? Is the Council Presidency still a powerful mediator? What are its internal challenges? What are the prospects for the rotating presidency system?
Ramona Coman is Professor in Political Science at the Université libre de Bruxelles, member of the CEVIPOL and Emeritus President of the Institut d’études européennes, Belgium.
Olivier Costa is Research Professor at the CNRS, CEVIPOF, Sciences Po (Paris), France. He is also Director of European Political and Governance Studies at the College of Europe (Bruges), Belgium.
Vivien Sierens is a Belgian diplomat. Holder of a PhD in political and social sciences (ULB & VUB), he is also an associate researcher at the Université libre de Bruxelles (CEVIPOL), Belgium.