The French Presidency of the Council of the EU ended at midnight today, rounding off the French six-month efforts to manage the work of the Council, which had been extremely influenced by the Russian aggression in Ukraine. France is now followed by Czechia, its partner country in the so-called Presidency Trio, including also Sweden. Czechia's task for the next six months will be to set the priority agenda for negotiations within the EU Council, to seek a compromise between Member States, and to represent the Council of the EU externally.

The Czech Presidency will be guided by political priorities that reflect the programme of the Presidency Trio and the current geopolitical situation, in particular the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Along with the start of the Presidency, the programme of the Czech Presidency, defining in addition to the political priorities the objectives set out in the individual formations of the Council of the EU, has been published.

The Presidency will be launched on its first day by a visit of the College of the European Commission to Litomyšl, and the official opening concert in Czechia will take place on 8 July 2022 at the Rudolfinum in Prague. In Brussels, the opening ceremony of the Czech Presidency is scheduled for 21 September 2022 at the Bozar Centre.

In total, over 320 political events will take place in Czechia during the Czech Presidency, and more than 50 ministerial meetings will be held in Brussels and Luxembourg. The most important events in Czechia include fourteen informal Ministerial Councils at the Prague Congress Centre and an informal summit at the Prague Castle in October. A rich accompanying cultural programme is also prepared.

Source: https://czech-presidency.consilium.europa.eu/en/news/czech-presidency-of-the-council-of-the-european-union-begins/