EU presidencies: Eurofound’s role

Image of flags of the European Union countries flying against grey background - Copyright: Image © Evgenia/Adobe StockWhat is the EU presidency?

Every six months, an EU Member State takes on the presidency of the Council of the EU, helping to ensure the smooth running of the EU legislative process. Those Member States holding the presidency work together in a ‘trio’ to ensure the continuity of the EU’s work in the Council and to prepare a common agenda over an 18-month period. They agree on the topics to address during the period and set longer-term goals. Each Member State hosting the presidency prepares a more detailed six-month programme. 

Eurofound's role

Eurofound is committed to improving living and working conditions in the EU. The Agency plays a unique role in providing expertise to support the EU institutions and bodies, Member States and social partners in shaping and implementing social, employment and work-related policies, based on national-level and comparative research. 

As part of this, the Agency collaborates with the rotating trio of presidencies of the Council of the EU, providing evidence-based knowledge and expertise at various levels.

Knowledge and support for employment and social affairs policymaking

Since 2012, Eurofound has been contributing to the relevant rotating Presidency of the Council, coordinating closely with Ministry colleagues in the Member States.

Eurofound provides its expertise for a range of presidency events such as the informal meeting of employment and social affairs ministers (EPSCO), the EU Employment Committee (EMCO) and the EU Social Protection Committee (SPC), as well as presidency conferences and other meetings.

At the request of the presidency, Eurofound prepares background papers or contributes knowledge for high-level meetings or events, as well as customised reports drawing on the findings of existing research. Eurofound staff participate as speakers, moderators or chairs at such events. In addition, Eurofound's work can help to inform the Presidency Council Conclusions. Some examples of our contributions are linked below under each presidency. 

Priority topics

In line with the priorities of each presidency, Eurofound can provide valuable evidence from a range of its ongoing research topics linked to employment, social and work-related policies. These include social dialogue, the impact of the green transition on employment, energy poverty and the cost of living, the European Child Guarantee, skills, flexibility in the workplace, boosting women’s labour market participation, platform work, youth unemployment and NEETs, as well as the EU social investment package. 

Read more on the presidency priorities

Presidency trio

The current presidency trio is made up of Spain, Belgium and Hungary.

Spanish presidency: July–December 2023

Spanish flagMore on Eurofound's contribution to the Spanish presidency

Belgian presidency: January–June 2024

Belgian flagSee latest event 30–31 January 2024: Mental health and work - EU Presidency of Belgium

More on Eurofound's contribution to the Belgian presidency

Hungarian presidency: July–December 2024

Hungarian flagMore on Eurofound's contribution to the Hungarian presidency

Earlier presidencies

Follow the links on each country to find out more about Eurofound's contributions to recent presidencies.

  1. 2023 presidencies

    January–June: Sweden, July–December: Spain

  2. 2022 presidencies

    January–June: France, July–December: Czechia

  3. 2021 presidencies

    January–June: Portugal, July–December: Slovenia

  4. 2020 presidencies

    January–June: Croatia, July–December: Germany

Contact us

Copyright: Main image © Evgenia/Adobe Stock; Social dialogue graphic © Julien Eichinger/Adobe Stock

Disclaimer

When freely submitting your request, you are consenting Eurofound in handling your personal data to reply to you. Your request will be handled in accordance with the provisions of Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2018 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data by the Union institutions, bodies, offices and agencies and on the free movement of such data. More information, please read the Data Protection Notice.