France takes over the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union

Last updated on Wednesday, 12/01/2022

Hvala Slovenija, bienvenue à la France!

As of 1 January, France takes over the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union from Slovenia and will hold it until 30 June 2022. For France, a founding member of the European Union, this will be its 13th presidency of the Council.  

The priorities of France's presidency are reflected in its motto: 'Recovery, strength and a sense of belonging': 

• recovery and strengthening the economy, to enable Europe to support the ecological and digital transitions 

• strength, to defend and promote our values and interests 

• a sense of belonging, to build and develop a shared European vision: through culture, our shared values and our common history 

What is the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union? 

The Council of the EU does not have a permanent, single-person president (like the European Commission or the European Parliament); instead, the EU member state holding the Council presidency leads its work for 6 months. After 6 months, another member state takes over the presidency.  

During these 6 months, ministers from that member state's government chair and help determine the agenda of the Council meetings in each policy area and facilitate dialogue with the other EU institutions. The three member states holding the presidency form together a “trio” over 18 months, working closely together. The current trio is made up of France (January-June 2022), Czechia (July-December 2022) and Sweden (January-June 2023). 

Stay up to date on the French Presidency and learn more about its priorities.