The Council

The Slovenian EU Council Presidency has launched a portal for NGOs increasing the possibilities for them to play a role during the Presidency.
The Slovenian EU Council Presidency has launched a web portal for NGOs outlining and facilitating NGO interventions to the Slovenian Presidency.
The basis for NGO involvement in the Presidency is outlined in the Agreement between the Government communication office and web portal Predsedovanje.si which details the communications envisaged before (...)

As from 1 January 2008, Slovenia is the first new EU member States to hold the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. In order to keep the European citizens informed they have created a website for the Slovenian Presidency:. At the Slovenian Presidency website a link leads to the web portal of participation of Slovenian NGO’s in the Slovenian Presidency:. Slovenian and foreign NGO’s will have the opportunity to participate in the Slovenian presidency of the European (...)

Health and Migration in the EU - better health for all in an inclusive society
A major initiative of the Portuguese Presidency in the field of health, has been the conference "Health and Migration in the EU - better health for all in an inclusive society", held in Lisbon on 27 and 28 September.
The conference aimed at mobilizing Member States, national and international organizations, and some NGOs, to discuss proposals for interventions that would promote health, prevent disease, and (...)

Portugal outlines new prorities for the EU in preparation of its Presidential Mandate starting on 1 July 2007.
Health programme for the Portuguese Presidency
Portuguese Presidency priorities
On 11 June, Álvaro Mendonça e Moura, Portugal’s Permanent Representative to the European Union, set out the main priorities of the forthcoming presidency. For the next 6 months, the Portuguese Presidency will keep three main goals in focus:
Reinforcing the EU’s political underpinnings
On the short (...)

The German presidency has prioritised ’families’ during its presidency with two initiative: a Communication on ’promoting solidarity between generations’ and the launch of an Alliance for Families.
According to the Communication, support to families is key to reach the Lisbon Agenda and meet the demographic challenges.
Therefore the European Commission seeks to assess how families can be best supported to have the number of children they desire. It emphasises the importance of gender (...)

This article has been updated with information regarding:
10 tests for the German Presidency designed by Social NGOs
The German Presidency’s Development Priorities
Future Presidencies of the European Union
Germany has taken over both the EU presidency and the Presidency of the G8 on the 1st January 2007.
The German EU presidency’s website will be launched on the 1st January 2007 together with an ambitious programme that, according to Ms Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany, will (...)

Cooperation between police and social and health authorities was the focus of the two-day conference on drugs held in Turku, Finland on 6-7 September, 2006.
The various transnational authorities and organisations involved in drugs tend to take very different approaches in tackling drug-related problems, in areas such as drug prevention and treatment of drug abusers. Therefore, the conference aimed to discuss the importance of collaboration and cooperation between authorities and between (...)

*This article has been updated the with the conclusions of the Council of Ministers of Health, 1 December 2006.* The Finnish presidency held on the a high level conference on “Health in All policies”.
Almost 270 participants gathered in Kuopio to discuss how the health community can contribute to mainstream health concerns in all policies.
Quite strikingly, the participants were all from health organisations and nearly no NGOs were invited. Health national institutes, (...)

As of June 2006, Council of Minister meetings are to be televised, in a bid to increase the overall transparency, accountability and credibilty of the EU institutions.
The UK has withdrawn its opposition to the new transparency procedures at Council level, ending the European Union tradition of secretive, closed-door ministerial meetings.
EPHA welcomes the new move of the EU Council of Ministers to change their own practices, which is key both for the credibility of the EU Council, as well (...)

Austria held the rotating Presidency of the EU from 1 January to 30 June, 2006. What were the health-related priorities of the Austrian government during this period - and were they achieved?
Future Presidencies of the European Union
Food and food safety
The Austrian Presidency re-opened the current safety assessments done by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), which, according to some member states, has approved GM products without proper research. However, Austria’s attempt at (...)