Sweden's 5-point EU presidency agenda

Swedish daily Dagens Nyheter reported today (24 Oct. 2007) Sweden's 5-point agenda during its 2009 European Union presidency, namely: Baltic sea cooperation, climate issues, growth and employment, crime prevention and EU's continued expansion possibilities, says EU Minister Cecilia Malmström. "These are our five main priorities that we will now report to France and Czech Republic," she says.

The French and the Czechs will led the EU during the two half years before Sweden takes over the presidency in the second half of 2009. Together, the three countries will have to decide on a common 18-month program.

Since Sweden assumed the EU presidency for the first time in 2001, conditions have changed radically. EU membership has almost doubled its number, with 27 now as against 15 then. A number of things are brewing in autumn 2009. The EU parliament is newly-elected; the EU Commission will have new commissioners and it means that several of EU's common legal work will be enforced.

At the same time, EU's reformed treaty takes effect. EU will have a new permanent president, as well as a new foreign minister thus in effect limiting the powers of the rotating presidency. According to Malmström, "all these could make things difficult for Sweden to push through its own line." During a six-month presidency, no member country can make fundamental changes in the EU. It was reported earlier that Britain's former PM Tony Blair is a favorite choice for the EU permanent presidency while Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt is seen best as EU's foreign minister.

The preliminary budget for Sweden's half-year presidency is 890 million crowns, which is bigger than 2001 - after all, EU has grown. But lesser than what Finland spent for its presidency.