German Presidency of the Council of the European Union
Germany has held the Presidency of the Council of the European Union since 1 July. "Together for Europe’s recovery" is Germany’s motto for the six-month Presidency. It will involve working together to address the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic with a view to the future.
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Start-up screen
Photo: Bundesregierung
Germany has taken over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union at a time of enormous challenges. During its Council Presidency in the second half of 2020, Germany intends to do its utmost to ensure that Europe exits the pandemic-induced crisis stronger than before. This will entail regaining economic strength and competitiveness, but also fostering social cohesion.
What issues will Germany address, and what priorities will it set? The spotlight will be on overcoming the health-related and economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. But other important priorities include climate action, digitalisation and the role of Europe in the world.
The start of Germany’s Presidency coincides with the start of a new trio presidency, with Portugal and Slovenia.
A Möbius band – the logo of the Presidency
The logo of Germany’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union is a Möbius band. This geometric figure has very unique properties – although it does not appear so at first sight, it has only one side.
The Möbius band thus symbolises the unity and solidarity that Europe forges, in spite of divergent interests and great diversity. Even if you start on different sides of the Möbius band and move in different directions, you will always meet up on the same side. And that is the strength of Europe.
The Möbius band is named after the German mathematician and astronomer August Ferdinand Möbius (1790 to 1868). Find out more about the Möbius band and the man who gave it its name here.
Website of Germany’s Council Presidency eu2020.de
www.eu2020.de is the German government’s central information platform during the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Since 1 July it has reported on the issues, programmes, events and latest news. The website is available in English, German and French. A translation tool will produce a machine translation into all 24 EU languages. It is run by the Federal Foreign Office.
The individual ministries report about Germany’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union on their own websites:
Federal Ministry of the Interior, Building and Community
Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection
Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy
Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs
Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture
Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth
Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure
Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety
Federal Ministry of Education and Research
Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development
Every six months the Presidency of the Council of the European Union passes from one member state to the next. In the first half of 2020 Croatia held the Presidency, followed by Germany for the second half of the year. During these six months, Germany will chair all Council meetings. Germany last held the Presidency in 2007. If you want to find out more about the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, you will find FAQs here.
Parallel to the rotating six-monthly Presidency of the Council of the European Union, there is what is known as the "parliamentary dimension of the Council Presidency". This is designed to strengthen the role of parliaments in the EU. The parliament of the nation holding the Presidency hosts conferences and special events for the parliaments of the other member states. During Germany’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the two chambers of the German parliament, the Bundestag and the Bundesrat, will exercise this role together. Find out more at www.parleu2020.de.