Sweden is ready to assume the presidency of the EU. With the economic slowdown in the world, the negotiations on climate change and the approach of major reforms in the institutions of the EU, the six-month presidency promises to be intense. From 1st July until the end of the year, Sweden will carry out these works. “We will face significant challenges, and probably a few difficulties. Our ability to coordinate work and to drive the Union during the six months to meet a large waiting and very strong demand,” says Fredrik Reinfeldt, Swedish Prime Minister.
The site <se2009.eu> was officially launched on 1st June 2009. Fully trilingual (Swedish, English and french) will be the reference of the presidency on the Internet. There will be possible to monitor the work of the Presidency and the whole meeting to be held in Sweden, Brussels and elsewhere. Transparency and accessibility are the key words for the site. It should facilitate access to basic information on issues that will be a central concern during the semester. The site <se2009.eu> also includes features such as broadcast by web TV, or SMS. The site is different from the previous websites of the European Union presidency, since it uses a domain name <. Eu>. The idea is that the emphasis is not placed solely on the country holding the presidency, but on the whole of European cooperation.
The site is in development and other functions will be added soon and more information on issues identified as priorities by Sweden. Beyond the representation of the EU during the negotiations on climate change United Nations in December 2009, and provided ongoing work to mitigate the recession, a series of other important issues are also on the agenda for Sweden. You can already read online information on some topics of the European Councils in the autumn. “These next six months promise to be very exciting, but the task before us will not be easy. I am looking forward to the challenges we face together in the fall,” said Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt.
Remember that until 1 July 2009, the Czech Republic holds the presidency of the EU.