STOCKHOLM—Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt (Conservative) assumed the president’s chair of the European Union (EU) on July 1. For the next six months Sweden will lead the union in facing a number of important issues.
A ceremony in Stockholm on Wednesday, led by the European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, marked the beginning of the presidency.
The event was held at Stockholm’s famous open-air museum Skansen. The EU leaders and the crowd in attendance were presented with musical entertainment and people in Swedish national costumes.
Reinfeldt has been quoted as saying that the task is not an enviable one, but it’s nonetheless a good opportunity for the current government to make an international impact.
The United Nations climate conference to be held in Copenhagen in December is one of the more serious agenda items; but the mere administration of obtaining cooperation between the 27 union nations is a challenge in its own right.
The heavy agenda includes 3000 meetings, some of them to be held in Sweden, but most will be in Brussels and Strasbourg. Two EU summits are also to be arranged, as well as meetings with representatives of Russia, Ukraine, South Africa, Brazil, and China towards the end of the presidency.
In the fall, both the European Parliament and the Commission will be reformed. Ireland will hold a referendum about the crucial Lisbon treaty, referred to as “the new EU constitution”. If the Irish are positive, the treaty will most likely be adopted by the Union, which would mean a common foreign policy, abolishing vetoes by individual countries to speed up the decision process, as well as a more strong personal leadership for the president of the council of ministers.
Everyday matters such as the dire financial straits, rising unemployment, a car industry in crisis, growing national debts, a huge influx of immigrants from Africa and other countries, as well as the climate work and relations with the U.S. will no doubt provide ample challenges for Prime Minister Reinfeldt and his colleagues in the coming six months.
Any major achievements during the presidency can serve as a springboard for the current Conservative government in the upcoming national election in the fall of 2010.
Read the original Swedish article.
