Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to present the process of shaping and reforming
of the mechanism of the Presidency of the Council from the adoption
and ratification of the Treaty of Rome to the Lisbon reform.
The founding fathers, as well as the later initiators and creators of the
Treaties establishing the Communities and the European Union, did not
assign a major role to the Presidency of the Council. On the one hand, the
presidency of the Community and then of the EU institutional structure
was treated as a kind of ‘technical’ instrument for managing the various
configurations of the Council and preparatory bodies for a specific time and
in a fixed sequence. On the other hand, the Presidency was perceived by
the Member States as a formal expression of equality of all members of the
European Union. However, it should be noted that, with the growth in the
processes of enlargement and deepening of the European integration, the
position and role of the Presidency as a mechanism for the functioning of
the European Union continued to grow. Over time, new plans and proposals
have been made to streamline this mechanism to preserve the management
continuity and increase the effectiveness of decision-making in the European
Union.
The main function of the Presidency of the Council is to set the agenda
for the Union’s action, to manage the work of the Council and its subsidiary
bodies, to represent the Council in relations with other Union institutions
and bodies, and also to represent the Union in relations with third countries
and international organizations.
Thus, the Presidency of the Council de facto consists in compromising in
the course of work of the EU institutions and bodies, as well as working out
and making decisions in a more abundant group of Member States. Therefore,
the Presidency of the Council is a formal expression of their equality.
Analysing the history of the development of the Presidency of the Council
mechanism, one can say that it evolved along with the process of deepening
integration and enlarging the Communities, and later the European Union,
and was shaped by these processes. Over the past 60–65 years, it has repeatedly
changed to adapt to the new conditions, challenges and threats to the
European integration.