Poland's EU-Council Presidency under Evaluation

The volume studies the Polish term as a crucial example of the rotating EU Council Presidency after the Lisbon Treaty. By covering all relevant policy fields, this in-depth analysis of the arguably most ambitious Presidency since the introduction of the Lisbon Treaty provides a balanced and differentiated evaluation of the profile of the reformed EU Council Presidency. The volume embarks on the analysis by relating to three main aspects of rotating Presidencies. First, the introduction systematizes the major functions of the rotating Presidency. Against this background, the individual chapters analyze the Polish term. Second, the authors address the tension between the formal neutrality expectation and the tempting opportunity for the country holding the Presidency to foster its national interests through the informal impact on the policies formulated, decided upon and implemented during the Presidency. Third, the volume adopts a contingency approach by distinguishing between endogenous and exogenous variables that may affect the outcome and success of the EU Council Presidency. The authors are Polish and German experts, both from academia and think thanks, specialized in research on European Union.