EU Bytes H


appy New Year and good riddance to 2020. Yes, I am not the fi rst person to write it, but it feels good to do so anyway. May your plans and ambitions for


2021 be met by possibility, and may each day be better than the previous one. So, what is on the plate? Well for my colleagues and I, quite a lot this year. I do not know if you have come across recent advertisement in this highly esteemed magazine (Casino International obviously) about a think tank on cryptocurrencies we are building together with several partners; a subject my colleague Joachim Marnitz and I have discussed quite a few times in EU Bytes articles. We are also working hard on promoting the Paralympic Movement, not only on a European scale, but globally. And we are expanding our trade practice for EU-India relations. Which brings me to today’s theme: The Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the EU which has stated it would focus on relations with the biggest democracy in the world. Today, I won’t focus on EU-India relations but the Presidency itself, what its role is, how it is structured and


what can be expected within the six months Portugal holds the title.


What is the Presidency of the Council of the EU?


The EU is pretty much made up of three institutional heavyweights: (1) the European Commission, (2) the European Parliament,


Glenn Cezanne examines what Portugal’s presidency of the Council of the EU means


and (3) the Council of the EU / European Council. There are also the Courts of Justice, etc. etc. but I won’t get into it now. And, I hope you haven’t fallen asleep


already. Anyway, to be brief, the European Commission is essentially the only body that can propose law, and guards that the law is upheld. The Parliament has a big role in most


28 JANUARY 2020


jorisvo/Adobe Stock


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