The EU Council Presidency is one of the most important and most taxing - yet most prestigious - duties arising from EU membership. The country holding the Presidency plays a role that is not only organizational, but also intermediary, political and representational.
The order in which the Member States assume the Presidency was approved by the General Affairs & External Relations Council on 13 December 2004. The decision lays down the order in which countries hold the Presidency up to 2010, and takes special care to alternate countries by size and geographical situation. The Czech Republic will assume the EU Presidency on 1 January 2009. It will take over this role from France, and pass on the baton to Sweden on 1 July 2009. Therefore, the preparations for the Czech Presidency will involve exhaustive communications with representatives of France and Sweden. The Czech Republic will not be the first of the new Member States to hold the EU Presidency - that honour will go to Slovenia in the first half of 2008.