Finland to takes over presidency of the Council of the European Union
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Finland takes over the six-month rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union from 1 July 2019. As holder of the presidency, Finland will chair the Council’s meetings of ministers and meetings of working groups and experts.
Finland will be responsible for taking forward the Council’s work on EU legislation and the policy initiatives of the Council, and for ensuring the continuity of the EU agenda.
Finland will chair the Council’s formal meetings in Brussels and Luxembourg and informal meetings held in Finland. The purpose of the informal meetings is to discuss topical EU matters.
During the Finnish Presidency, Finland will host six informal meetings of ministers in Helsinki, all of them in Finlandia Hall.
In addition to the normal six-month presidency, Finland is chairing the EU’s High Level Working Group on Competitiveness and Growth from January 2019 to the end of June 2020. The position of chair is taken by Janne Känkänen, Director for EU and International Affairs at the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment. This High Level Group discusses key policy measures concerning Europe’s global competitiveness.
The priorities for Finland’s Presidency are
to strengthen common values and the rule of law
to make the EU more competitive and socially inclusive
to strengthen the EU’s position as a global leader in climate action
to protect the security of citizens comprehensively
