Packed agenda for German EU presidency

Reviving the European constitution will be a priority for Germany’s EU presidency, foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said in Brussels.

Introducing the country’s presidency, which kicks off on January 1, Steinmeier said reviving the EU treaty would be at the heart of Berlin’s goals.

He added that Germany will work on reviving faith in the EU, declaring that “it will be one of our duties to win back the trust that has been lost in the last few years”.

But Steinmeier also played down unrealistic expectations, insisting that Germany will not be able to work miracles.

Berlin’s bid to revive the constitution is likely to be fraught, with French presidential elections and a change of prime minister in the UK likely to get in the way of any radical moves before June.

The presidency’s ambitious agenda also includes a number of key external relation issues, such as strengthening links with Russia and the EU’s eastern neighbours, securing Europe’s energy supplies and boosting ties with Central Asia.

In addition, Germany will have to devote time to two dossiers which the Finnish presidency failed to resolve: Turkey’s EU talks and a new EU-Russia trade partnership.

Indeed, the foreign minister said one of the German presidency’s goals for the next six months will be “that Europe speak with one voice again in external policy”.

And on the internal front, Germany also plans to work on cutting red tape and fighting climate change – making for a packed agenda.

But Steinmeier emphasised that the presidency could be dominated by unplanned events on the global agenda.

This was the case with the Finnish presidency, which focused on the conflict in Lebanon during its first few weeks.

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