Strategic Panorama 2009 - 2010 - IEEE

Aníbal Villalba Fernández
Until the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon, the rotating Presidency
of the Council was held by each Member State for a period of six months.
Under the Treaty of Lisbon this arrangement has changed: although the
rotation of the Council Presidencies held by the Member States is maintained,
this does not include CFSP, an area in which most of the functions
attributed up until now to the Presidency have passed to the HR, who
shall chair the Foreign Affairs Council, contribute through his proposals
towards the preparation of the CFSP and ensure the implementation of
the decisions adopted by the European Council and the Council (article
27.1 TEU - Lisbon).
The GAERC has been divided into two different configurations:
• The General Affairs Council (CAG), which is chaired by a representative
of the Member State that exercises the rotating Presidency and
is responsible for ensuring consistency in the work of the different
Council configurations, and preparing and ensuring the follow-up
to meetings of the European Council in liaison with the President
of the European Council and the Commission (article 16.6 of the
TEU - Lisbon).
• The Foreign Affairs Council (FAC), which is now chaired by the HR,
and shall elaborate the Union’s external action on the basis of strategic
guidelines laid down by the European Council and ensure that
the Union’s action is consistent (article 16.6 of the TEU - Lisbon).
For the purpose of the organisation of the Spanish Presidency of the
EU, it should be stressed that the Declaration of the European Council of
December 2008 on transitional measures concerning the Presidency of the
European Council and the Presidency of the Foreign Affairs Council states
that in the event that the Treaty of Lisbon enters into force at a date when
a six-monthly Presidency of the Council has already begun, the European
Council agrees that, as a matter of transition, in order to take into account
the preparatory work and ensure harmonious continuity of work:
• The competent authorities of the Member State holding the
six−monthly Presidency of the Council at that time will continue to
chair all the remaining meetings of the Council and the European
Council, as well as third country meetings, until the end of the
period of office;
• The following−six monthly Presidency of the Council will be in charge
of taking the necessary specific measures relating to the organisational
and material aspects of the Presidency of the European
Council and of the Foreign Affairs Council during its period of office,
— 153 —