Brussels, 23/12/2005 (Agence Europe) - Taking over from the UK, Austria will have the Presidency of the Council of the European Union for six months, starting 1 January 2006. Two European Councils will be held during this period in Brussels, chaired by Wolfgang Schussel, the first on 23/24 March and the second on 15/16 June. The General Affairs and External Relations Council meetings will be chaired by Ursula Plassnik, the ECOFIN Councils by Karl-Heinz Grasser, the Justice and Home Affairs meetings by Liese Prokop, the Agriculture Councils by Josef Proll and the Competitiveness Councils by Martin Bartensein. COREPER II will be chaired by the Austrian Permanent Representative to the EU in Brussels, Gregor Woschnagg, and COREPER I by Walter Grahammer.
The timetable of Councils and other meetings scheduled by the Austrian Presidency (in April and June, the Council will meet in Luxembourg, and in October during the Finnish Presidency it will also meet in Luxembourg):
January: - Informal Justice and Home Affairs meeting, 12 - 14 January in Vienna; - Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Protection Council, 19 - 21 January in Villach; - Agriculture and Fisheries Council, 23 and 24 January; - Eurogroup, 23 January; - ECOFIN Council, 24 January; - informal meeting of EU trade ministers, 29 January in Brussels; - General Affairs and External Relations Council, 30 and 31 January.
February: - Eurogroup, 13 February; - ECOFIN Council, 14 February; - Justice and Home Affairs Council, 20 and 21 February; - Agriculture and Fisheries Council 20 and 21 February; - Education, Youth and Culture Council, 23 February; - General Affairs and External Relations Council, 27 and 28 February.
March: - Transport Council in Bregenz on 2 and 3 March; - Defence Council, 6 and 7 March in Innsbruck; - Environment Council, 9 March; - Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Protection Council, 10 March; - Gymnich-type foreign ministers meeting, 10 and 11 March in Salzburg); - Competitiveness Council (internal market, industry and R&D), 13 March; - Eurogroup, 13 March; - ECOFIN Council, 14 March; - Education Council, 16 and 17 March in Vienna; - General Affairs and External Relations Council, 20 and 21 March; - Agriculture and Fisheries Council, 20 and 21 March; - Spring European Council, 23/24 March, Brussels; - Transport, Telecoms and Energy Council, 27 and 28 March; - Youth Council, 29 to 31 March in Bad Ischl.
April: - ECOFIN Council, 7 - 9 April, Vienna; - General Affairs and External Relations Council, 10 and 11 April in Luxembourg; - Competitiveness Council, 20 - 22 April in Graz; - Agriculture and Fisheries Council, 25 April in Luxembourg; - Health Council, 25-26 April in Vienna; - Justice and Home Affairs Council, 27 - 28 April in Luxembourg.
May: - Eurogroup, 4 May; - ECOFIN Council, 5 May; - EU-Latin America and Caribbean Summit, 11 and 12 April in Vienna; - General Affairs and External Relations Council, 15 et 16 May; - Education, Youth and Culture Council, 18 et 19 May; - Environment Council, 19 - 21 May in Eisenstadt/Rust; - Agriculture and Fisheries Council, 22 and 23 May; - Agriculture Council, 28 - 30 May in Krems; - Competitiveness Council, 29 and 30 May.
June: - Justice and Home Affairs Council, 1 and 2 June in Luxembourg; - Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Council, 1 and 2 June in Luxembourg; - Eurogroup, 6 June in Luxembourg; - ECOFIN Council on 7 June in Luxembourg; - Transport, Telecoms and Energy Council, 8 and 9 June in Luxembourg; - General Affairs and External Relations Council, 12 and 13 June in Luxembourg; - European Council, 15 and 16 June, Brussels; - Agriculture and Fisheries Council, 19 and 20 June in Luxembourg; - Environment Council, 26 and 27 June in Luxembourg; - General Affairs and External Relations Council, 26 and 27 June in Luxembourg (to be confirmed); - Competitiveness Council, 29 June in Luxembourg (tbc).