Brussels, 23/12/2004 (Agence Europe) - Taking over from the Netherlands, Luxembourg will hold the Presidency of the Council of the EU for six months from 1 January 2005. Two European Council Summits are scheduled for Brussels, the first on 22/23 March and the second on 16/17 June. The Luxembourg Presidency's calendar of Councils and other meetings follows:
. January: - European Commission to visit the Luxembourg Presidency in Luxembourg on 10 January (Kirchberg); - Eurogroup on 17; - Ecofin on 18; - Agriculture and Fisheries on 24; - Informal Justice and Home Affair (JHA) on 27, 28 and 29 in Luxembourg (Kirchberg); - General Affairs and External Relations Council on 31.
. February: - General Affairs and External Relations Council on 1er; - European Conference (Equal opportunities ten years on from Beijing) on 2 and 3 in Luxembourg (Kirchberg); - Ministerial meeting on equal opportunities ten years on from Beijing on 4 in Luxembourg (Kirchberg); - Informal Development Cooperation Council on 14 and 15 in Luxembourg (Kirchberg); - Eurogroup on 16; - Ecofin on 17; General Affairs and External Relations Council on 21 and 22; - Education, Youth and Culture on 22; - Justice and Home Affairs on 24; - Transport, Telecoms and Energy Council on 24; - Agriculture and Fisheries on 28.
. March: - Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Protection on 3 and 4; - Competitiveness on 7 and 8; - Eurogroup on 7; - Ecofin on 8; - Environment on 10; - Agriculture and Fisheries on 14; - General Affairs and External Relations Council on 16 and 17; - Informal Defence on 18 and 19 in Luxembourg (Kirchberg); - European Council on 22 and 23.
. April: - Informal Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Protection Council on 7, 8 and 9 in Luxembourg (Kirchberg); - Eurogroup on 11; - Ecofin on 12; - Justice and Home Affairs on 14; - Informal Foreign Affairs (Gymnich) on 15 and 16 in Luxembourg (Kirchberg); - Competitiveness on 18; - Transport, Telecoms and Energy Council on 21; - General Affairs and External Relations Council on 25 and 26; - Ministerial conference on development on 25; - Agriculture and Fisheries on 26.
. May: - Informal Agriculture on 8, 9, 10 and 11 in Luxembourg (Kirchberg); - Informal Ecofin on 13 and 14 in Luxembourg (Kirchberg); - General Affairs and External Relations Council on 23 and 24; - Ministerial meeting on defence on 23; - Education, Youth and Culture on 23 and 24; - XII EU-Rio Group Ministerial Summit on 26 and 27 in Luxembourg (Kirchberg); - Agriculture and Fisheries on 30; - VII EuroMed Conference on 30 and 31 in Luxembourg (Kirchberg).
. June: - Justice and Home Affairs on 2 and 3; - Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Protection on 2 and 3; - Competitiveness on 6; - Eurogroup on 6; - Ecofin on 7; - Informal Civil Service Conference on 7 and 8 in Luxembourg (Kirchberg); General Affairs and External Relations Council on 13 and 14; - Informal Town and Country Planning Conference on 15, 16 and 17 June in Mondorf; - European Council on 16 and 17; - Agriculture and Fisheries on 20 and 21; - Environment on 24; - Informal Culture Council on 26, 27 and 28 à Luxembourg (Kirchberg); - Transport, Telecoms and Energy Council on 27 and 28.