Brussels, 01/07/2005 (Agence Europe) - Following on from Luxembourg, the United Kingdom will from today, Friday 1 July, hold the Presidency of the Council of the European Union for six months. Two meetings of the European Council are planned and will be held in Brussels under the chairmanship of Tony Blair: the first on 27/28 October and the second on 15/16 December. The meetings of the General Affairs/External Relations Council will be chaired by Jack Straw, the Ecofin Councils by Gordon Brown, the Budget Councils by Ivan Lewis, the Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) Councils by Charles Clarke, the Agriculture and Environment Councils by Margaret Beckett, the Social Affairs Councils by David Blunkett and the Competitiveness Councils by Alan Johnson. Coreper II will be chaired by the UK Permanent Representative to the EU John Grant, and Coreper I by his deputy Susan Sillis.
Here is the calendar of the Councils and other meetings planned by the UK Presidency:
July: - Informal meeting of the employment ministers, 7/8 July in Belfast (Northern Ireland); - informal meeting of the competitiveness ministers, 11/12 July in Cardiff (Wales); - Ecofin Council in Brussels, 12 July; - conference of the education ministers, 12/13 July in London; - Budget (Ecofin) in Brussels, 15 July; - General Affairs/External Relations Council in Brussels, 18/19 July; - informal meeting (dinner) of the trade ministers in Brussels, 18 July; - JHA Council in Brussels, 26 July.
August: Summer vacation, no ministerial meetings planned.
September: - Informal meeting of the foreign affairs ministers (Gymnich-type meeting), 1/2 September at Celtic Manor; - EU/China Summit, 5 September in Beijing; - EU/India Summit, 7 September in New Delhi; - informal meeting of the justice and home affairs ministers, 8/9 September in Newcastle; - informal meeting of the economic and finance ministers, 9/10 September in Manchester; - informal meeting of the environment and agriculture ministers, 9 to 12 September in London; - Agriculture Council in Brussels, 19/20 September; - ministerial conference on sport, 19 to 22 September in Liverpool.
October: - General Affairs/External Relations Council on the occasion of the start of accession negotiations with Turkey, 3 October in Luxembourg; - EU/Russia Summit, 4 October in London; - Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council, 6 October in Luxembourg; - JHA Council, 12/13 October in Luxembourg; - ministerial conference of the defence ministers, 13 October; - Environment Council, 17 October in Luxembourg; - conference of the health ministers, 20/21 October in Hertfordshire; - Agriculture/Fisheries Council, 24/25 October in Luxembourg; - conference of the development ministers, 24/25 October in Leeds; - European Council, 26/27 October in Brussels.
November: - Employment, Social, Health and Consumer Protection Council, 3/4 November in Brussels; - (possibly) General Affairs and External Relations Council, 7 November in Brussels; - Ecofin Council, 8 November in Brussels; - ministerial conference on equal opportunities, 7 to 9 November in Birmingham; - General Affairs/External Relations Council (with participation of development and trade ministers), 21/22 November in Brussels; - informal meeting (dinner) of the trade ministers, 21 November in Brussels; - Agriculture/Fisheries Council, 22/23 November in Brussels; - Ecofin (budget) Council, 24 November in Brussels; - EU/Canada Summit, 24 November in London; - meeting to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Barcelona process, 27/28 November in Barcelona.
December: - JHA Council, 1/2 December in Brussels; - Transport, Telecommunications and Energy, 1 December in Brussels; - Environment Council, 2 December in Brussels; - Ecofin Council, 6 December in Brussels; - meeting of the “sustainable communities”, 6/7 December in Bristol; - Employment, Social, Health and Consumer Protection Council, 8 December in Brussels; - Health Council; 9 December in Brussels, General Affairs/External Relations Council, 12/13 December in Brussels; - European Council, 15/16 December in Brussels; - Agriculture/Fisheries Council, 19/20 December in Brussels.