Sweden takes over the management of the EU’s governing council
The Swedish embassy in Abuja has taken over the leadership of the Council of the European Union for six months from the Czech Republic.
Sweden took over the leadership at a ceremony at the Swedish embassy in Abuja.
The Swedish presidency will continue the leadership responsibility for the bloc’s core functioning co-legislative power.
The Presidency of the Council of the EU is responsible for the functioning of the Council of the EU, which is the co-legislator of the EU legislature alongside the European Parliament.
This rotates between EU member states every six months.
The Czech ambassador, Zdeněk Krejči, spoke at the handover ceremony, saying that the responsibility of the Czech presidency was to create the conditions for security and prosperity for the bloc.
He also added that bringing lasting peace to the soil of Ukraine was paramount on the Council’s leadership agenda.
“The events of recent months have shown that Europeans in a crisis triggered by an external threat can act quickly, effectively and in a united way. The overall goal of the Czech Presidency was to contribute as much as possible to creating the desired conditions for the EU s security and prosperity,” Krejči said.
Sweden’s ambassador-designate to Nigeria, Annika Hahn-Englund, praised the leadership of the Czech presidency for uniting member states to have a common basis to work in a difficult time for the bloc due to the Ukraine war.
“Sweden is number three in the presidency trio since the block calendar began in 2021. First it was French, then (the) Czech Republic, and on January 1 our leadership will begin,” Hahn-Englund explained.
(NO)