Swedish Presidency of the European Union

On 1 July, Sweden takes over the Presidency of the EU. The country holding the Presidency leads the Council of the European Union and acts as the driving force behind the EU’s legislative and political work.

An important task for the country holding the Presidency is to broker compromises between the Member States. It is also the country holding the Presidency which leads the meetings of the European Council, the EU summits where the EU heads of state or government meet.

The EU Member States take it in turns to preside over the Council. The Presidency rotates every six months. The Member States have together decided on the order in which they will hold the Presidency.

Together with the two previous presidencies - the French Presidency in the second half of 2008 and the Czech Presidency in the first half of 2009 - Sweden forms part of a “three-Presidency team”.

The most important task for the three-Presidency team is to work out a common 18-month programme for all three presidencies.

Presidency order of rotation
The rota of countries holding the EU Presidency until 2020 is as follows:

Year First half of the year Second half of the year
2009 Czech Republic/ Sweden
2010 Spain/ Belgium
2011 Hungary/ Poland
2012 Denmark/ Cyprus
2013 Ireland/ Lithuania
2014 Greece/ Italy
2015 Latvia/ Luxembourg
2016 The Netherlands/ Slovakia
2017 Malta/ United Kingdom
2018 Estonia/ Bulgaria
2019 Austria/ Romania
2020 Finland/

More News

Nov 18 2009 Discover a variety of different stories about the cities and the lives therein from 27 EU countries – A Literary journey through Europe!
A new book called ‘Europe, Fascinating Stories’ is being published in two volumes by the publisher Minumsa. The collection of 27 short stories features a diverse range of popular active authors such as Jamie Smith (UK), Ingo Schulze (Germany), Antonio Tabucchi (Italy). Anna Gavalda (France), Hans Gunnarsson (Sweden) and Lena Kron (Finland). The authors come from all 27 EU countries, and their stories have been translated to Korean.
Oct 19 2009 Residence and work permit applications
Due to the fire in Danam building in September the Embassy of Sweden has unfortunately been unable to accept residence and work permit applications.
Oct 12 2009 The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel 2009
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has decided to award The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel for 2009 to
Oct 9 2009 The Nobel Peace Prize for 2009
The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided that the Nobel Peace Prize for 2009 is to be awarded to
Oct 8 2009 The Nobel Prize in Literature 2009
Herta Müller (Germany) "who, with the concentration of poetry and the frankness of prose, depicts the landscape of the dispossessed" has been awarded the 2009 Nobel prize for Literature
Oct 7 2009 The Nobel Prize in Chemistry
The 2009 Nobel Prize in Cheimstry has been shared euqally between Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, Thomas A. Steitz (USA) and Ada E Yonath (Israel) for ' studies of the structure and function of the ribosome.'
Oct 6 2009 The Nobel Prize in Physics 2009 - 'The masters of light'
The Nobel Prize in Physics has been awarded to Charles K. Kao (United Kingdom and China), Willard S. Boyle (USA) and George E. Smith (USA) for ' groundbreaking achievements concerning the transmission of light in fibres for optical communication' and 'for the invention of an imaging semiconductor circuit - the CCD sensor'
Oct 5 2009 The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2009
The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet has today decided to award The Nobel Prize in Pysiology or Medicine 2009 jointly to
Oct 2 2009 Nobel Prize Week
The Nobel Prizes will be announced from 5 - 12 October and as always the Laureates will then gather in Stockholm in the beginning of December for an intensive week of press conferences, lectures and concerts, culminating on 10 December with the award ceremony and banquet.
Sep 26 2009 The Embassy is temporarily closed
The Embassy of Sweden in Seoul is forced to close the office temporarily due to a fire in the building on Saturday 26 September.
Sep 16 2009 FACT SHEET: Children in Sweden – Growing up in Sweden
It is published on 6 February 2009 by Swedish Institute about Children care of Sweden.
Sep 11 2009 Swedish Government proposes tuition fees for foreign students
'In the 2010 Budget Bill, the Government proposes that foreign students wishing to study in Sweden should pay fees.
Sep 8 2009 Sweden among top 5
Sweden is in fourth place with regard to competitiveness among the countries of the world, according to The Global Competitiveness Report 2009-2010, which is compiled from data by the World Economic Forum. Pole position is held by Switzerland ahead of the United States (previously in first place) and Singapore. Immediately behind Sweden are Denmark and Finland. Three nordic countries are thus among the world's ten most competitive countries, according to the report.
Jul 13 2009 EU’s Free Trade Agreement with South Korea
All the EU member states have now given their approval to proceeding further towards the conclusion of the free trade agreement with South Korea. The presidency of the EU welcomes this result in view of the great economic advantages the agreement will entail.
Jun 13 2009 The Presidency is filled with culture!
Europe is not just about coal and steel or politics and economics, but also about culture. When Sweden plays host to the EU, we want to show a culture that is modern, cross-border and open. The identities of Sweden and Europe are shaped by culture and are continually evolving. Culture has never been limited by borders, and today the world is closer to us than ever before. We want this to come across in the cultural activities presented here. Whether it is art, pop music, film or circus, it is equally part of our common cultural heritage and our history. Welcome!
Jun 1 2009 50 years of Swedish Diplomatic Relations with the Republic of Korea
Statement from the Swedish Ambassador on March 11, 2009
May 30 2009 Photo Exhibition of 50 Years of Diplomatic Relations
To celebrate 50 years of diplomatic relations between Sweden and the Republic of Korea, the Embassy of Sweden in Seoul is hosting a travelling exhibition this year.
Feb 19 2009 Statement of Foreign Policy 2009
Each February, the Minister for Foreign Affairs presents the Government's Statement of Foreign Policy in the Riksdag. The presentation is followed by a debate. The Statement of Foreign Policy sets out the Government's priorities and views on various issues in the rest of the world during the year ahead.

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