Bulletin n. 2/2007
October 2007
CONTENTS
  • Section A) The theory and practise of the federal states and multi-level systems of government
  • Section B) Global governance and international organizations
  • Section C) Regional integration processes
  • Section D) Federalism as a political idea
    • Westlake Martin
    Why Presidencies Still Matter
    in Oesterreichische Zeitschrift für Politikwissenschaft , 2007/2 ,  2007 ,  157-166
    WHY PRESIDENCIES STILL MATTER One of the innovations of the Constitutional Treaty would be the creation of a permanent Presidency of the European Council. A less-remarked upon provision in the Treaty is for the continuation of the traditional rotating presidency for all Council configurations except the future Foreign Affairs Council. In reality, most of the Treaty’s provisions in this context have already been quietly implemented through changes to the Council’s rules of procedure. This article examines why, even in a Union of 27 or more member states, the traditional presidency, with six-monthly rotations (grouped together into eighteen-month partnerships), still matters. It goes on to consider how, in effect, the traditional presidency’s role, particularly with regard to coordination, would become even more important if the permanent Presidency of the European Council were to be established.
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