Sunday Times 2
Latvia assumes presidency of the European Union
View(s):Latvia for the first time has assumed the presidency of the Council of the European Union, taking it over from Italy.
Latvian Prime Minister H.E. Laimdota Straujuma
The presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU) rotates among the EU Member States every six months and the country holding the presidency drives forward the Council’s work. Latvia will hand over the Council presidency to Luxembourg after its term ends.
The EU Council is an essential decision maker which together with the European Parliament (EP) adopts legislation and coordinates European Union policies.
Presidency is an opportunity for each Member State, regardless of its size or the length of the membership, to influence the EU agenda and guide EU endeavours.
Shortly before taking over the Presidency of the Council, Latvian Prime Minister Laimdota Straujuma launched the official website of the Latvian Presidency EU2015.lv. The website provides the latest news from the Latvian Presidency, live broadcasts from events, and information on Latvia. “We are proud to hold the presidency because we believe that being part of the European family makes us more prosperous and safer,” says the Latvian Prime Minister.
Prime Minister Straujuma addressing the European Parliament on January 14 said Latvia was taking over the rotating EU Presidency at a very complicated time, full of challenges. She said the citizens of the European Union are interested in concrete results, which improve their daily lives and can achieve it through joint effort of the Council, the European Parliament and the European Commission.