What are the issues that Finland’s Presidency is taking forward?

Finland has a national presidency programme with priorities that steer its work. The priorities for Finland’s Presidency are to: strengthen common values and the rule of law make the EU more competitive and socially inclusive strengthen the EU’s position as a global leader in climate action protect the security of citizens comprehensively. During Finland’s Presidency, the Council will also be dealing with a number of other wide-ranging issues, such as migration and the multiannual financial framework. Presidency programme

How will the presidency be visible to ordinary Finns?

Finland’s Presidency is present in the traditional and social media and via the public events it is organising. The informal meetings of ministers also have a visual impact on the streets of Helsinki.

How much will the arrangements for the presidency cost?

The budget for Finland’s Presidency is €70 million, €25 million of which will be spent on meeting arrangements. In addition, the Ministry of the Interior received a separate sum earmarked for the security arrangements of Presidency meetings in Helsinki.

Why was Finlandia Hall selected as the venue for informal meetings of ministers?

Finlandia Hall was selected following a competitive tendering process. Some of the main reasons for this choice were the suitability of the premises for EU meetings and the fact that the space was available at certain times. A centralised meeting venue saves time and resources, since the temporary facilities required for meetings don’t have to be dismantled or moved. It also reduces the carbon footprint of the meetings. Sustainable meeting arrangements

Why does Finland have an agreement with BMW?

Transportation makes up a significant portion of the costs of the presidency. In general, the Member States do not have enough vehicles readily available, which is why all the presidencies in the last few years have had a partnership agreement on transportation equipment. Following an EU-wide call for tenders, the Secretariat for Finland’s Presidency signed a partnership agreement with Oy BMW Suomi Ab. This is the only such agreement signed by Finland’s Presidency. The contract was concluded in accordance with the Finnish Act (1397/2016) on Public Procurement and Concession Contracts. BMW fulfilled the conditions of the tender. These conditions included the size, colour, age (maximum one year) and emission standards (minimum €6) of the vehicles. BMW was the only company that submitted a bid. Press release on the meeting arrangements Finland had a partnership agreement with Volvo-Auto Oy during its previous presidencies in 1999 and 2006.

Will Finland seek to restrict sponsorship of presidencies?

Finland’s Presidency is not planning to launch a discussion on the regulation of sponsorship in the EU member states. Sponsorship is used to cover some of the costs of the informal ministerial meetings that the presidency is responsible for organising. This is therefore a matter of national competence for the member state holding the presidency.

Council of the EU

The Council of the European Union is where the governments of the EU member states are represented by government ministers of the member states. The Council meets in ten different configurations, depending on the subject being discussed.

Council configurations

Rotating presidency

The presidency of the Council rotates among the EU member states every 6 months. During this 6-month period, the presidency chairs meetings at every level in the Council, helping to ensure the continuity of the EU’s work in the Council.

The presidency is responsible for driving forward the Council's work on EU legislation, ensuring the continuity of the EU agenda, and cooperation among member states.

Member states holding the presidency work together closely in groups of three, called ‘trios’. The current trio is made up of the presidencies of Romania, Finland and Croatia.

The trio sets long-term goals and prepares a common agenda determining the major topics and issues that will be addressed by the Council over an 18-month period. The focus areas of the 18-month programme, or trio programme, prepared by Romania, Finland and Croatia, include common EU values, sustainable growth and strengthening external capabilities, safety and security.

Based on the trio programme, each presidency will produce their own more detailed 6-month programmes.

Council of the EU: What is the Council presidency and how does it work?

Trio programme

Formal and informal meetings

Finland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union begins on 1 July and ends on 31 December 2019.

Finland chairs the formal Council meetings in Brussels and Luxembourg and the informal meetings of ministers held in Finland. The purpose of the informal meetings is to discuss topical EU matters.

Finland will host six informal meetings of ministers in Helsinki, all of them in Finlandia Hall:

Informal Meeting of Ministers Responsible for Competitiveness (COMPET)
Informal Meeting of Environment/Climate Ministers (ENVI)
Informal Meeting of Justice and Home Affairs Ministers (JHA)
Informal Meeting of Ministers for Foreign Affairs (Gymnich), incorporating the Informal Meeting of EU Defence Ministers
Informal Meeting of Ministers for Economic and Financial Affairs (Ecofin) and Eurogroup
Informal Meeting of Ministers of Agriculture (AGRIFISH)

Finland will host around 130 meetings including a meeting of the Government with the Conference of Presidents of the European Parliament and a meeting with the College of Commissioners of the European Commission as well as working group and expert meetings.

Frequently asked questions

Finland has a national presidency programme with priorities that steer its work.

The priorities for Finland’s Presidency are to:
- strengthen common values and the rule of law
- make the EU more competitive and socially inclusive
- strengthen the EU’s position as a global leader in climate action
- protect the security of citizens comprehensively.
During Finland’s Presidency, the Council will also be dealing with a number of other wide-ranging issues, such as migration and the multiannual financial framework.

Presidency programme
Finlandia Hall was selected following a competitive tendering process. Some of the main reasons for this choice were the suitability of the premises for EU meetings and the fact that the space was available at certain times.

A centralised meeting venue saves time and resources, since the temporary facilities required for meetings don’t have to be dismantled or moved. It also reduces the carbon footprint of the
meetings.

Sustainable meeting arrangements
Transportation makes up a significant portion of the costs of the presidency. In general, the Member States do not have enough vehicles readily available, which is why all the presidencies in the last few years have had a partnership agreement on transportation equipment.

Following an EU-wide call for tenders, the Secretariat for Finland’s Presidency signed a partnership agreement with Oy BMW Suomi Ab. This is the only such agreement signed by Finland’s Presidency.

The contract was concluded in accordance with the Finnish Act (1397/2016) on Public Procurement and Concession Contracts. BMW fulfilled the conditions of the tender. These conditions included the size, colour, age (maximum one year) and emission standards (minimum €6) of the vehicles. BMW was the only company that submitted a bid.

Press release on the meeting arrangements

Finland had a partnership agreement with Volvo-Auto Oy during its previous presidencies in 1999 and 2006.
Finland’s Presidency is not planning to launch a discussion on the regulation of sponsorship in the EU member states. Sponsorship is used to cover some of the costs of the informal ministerial meetings that the presidency is responsible for organising. This is therefore a matter of national competence for the member state holding the presidency.