The first Slovak Presidency of the Council of the European Union

€10 silver collector coin

From 1 July to 31 December 2016, Slovakia will hold the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union. This will be the first time that Slovakia has held the presidency. As the presiding state it will lead negotiations on new European legislation and current political issues. Its main role inside the EU Council will be to seek compromises on European policies among the Member States and outwardly it will represent the Member States in relations with other European institutions. The main activity in the presidency is presiding over the preparatory bodies (working groups and committees of the EU Council) and sectoral ministerial formations of the EU Council. For six months the Slovak representatives will be acting on behalf of the governments of the 28 Member States of the EU, which is home to more than 500 million inhabitants. At the same time, a number of meetings on the high political and expert level will be held in Slovakia. The presidency is also expected to bring increased coverage of Slovakia and Slovak culture in international media and to have a positive impact on the country’s image.