End of an era as Sweden hands over EU presidency - Feature

Brussels - Fifty-two years of European Union history are set to come to an end on Friday as Sweden hands over the bloc's last full national presidency to its new full-time chairman and to Spain. Since it was founded in 1957, the EU has been steered by a different member state every six months. But on December 1 the bloc's Lisbon Treaty came into force, creating the position of full-time president of the council of EU member states.

From January 1, Belgium's former premier, Herman Van Rompuy, is set to chair summits and steer the EU's agenda, while Spain, the next holder of the rotating presidency, is to head lower-level meetings.

"This has been an intense six months - I wish Herman Van Rompuy and the Spanish presidency luck," Swedish premier Fredrik Reinfeldt told the German Press Agency...

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/301718,newsend-of-an-era-as-sweden-hands-over-eu-presidency.html.