A blog by Nick Archer, Ambassador to Denmark There’s a Presidency endgame feeling here in Copenhagen. Okay, we still have May and June to go. But the Informals are now all taking place in Horsens, out of sight across the Store Belt, and with most of the big ones done, to some extent out of mind. The interesting question is what kind of deals, after four months of hard preparatory … Read more »Money and manufacturing
Author Archive
On your pink bikes….
The Danish Presidency of the Council of the European Union moved from Copenhagen to Horsens in Jutland this week. The first Horsens meeting was the Environment Informal. On Wednesday I went along to work with the UK delegation, led by Environment Minister Caroline Spelman. First thing after breakfast, transfer to the Informal venue at Forum Horsens would be by bicycle. Well, this is an Environment meeting in Denmark after all. Read more »On your pink bikes….
A busy time for energy and climate change…
Paul Irving, Desk Officer (Climate Change) I arrived in Copenhagen last weekend and I’m now halfway through a week of work shadowing the political and commercial section of the British Embassy in Copenhagen, i.e. seeing what my colleagues in Copenhagen get up too. In other words, I am trying to discover what life is really like within a British embassy during an EU Presidency. I’ve come to help with the Embassy’s … Read more »A busy time for energy and climate change…
Reflections on the EU Finance Ministers meeting
by Marianne Hedegaard, Political Officer I attended the ECOFIN Informal at the Bella Center in Copenhagen on 30 March – the last informal in Copenhagen before the Danish Presidency meetings move to Horsens in Jutland. The Chancellor George Osborne with senior officials and the Deputy Bank Governor Charles Bean attended. It was a full agenda in two working sessions and a lunchtime discussion focusing on the economic situation in the … Read more »Reflections on the EU Finance Ministers meeting
No let up, even on the Ides of March
Simon Wood, Deputy Head of Mission The Danish EU Presidency continues apace. With the Gymnich now over, there’s not much time to catch breath before the next set of meetings in Copenhagen. Last Thursday, tempting fate on the Ides of March the Danish government welcomed EU Development Ministers to Copenhagen for a conference celebrating the 50th anniversary of Danida, the Danish development organisation and equivalent of our own Department for International … Read more »No let up, even on the Ides of March
When the Foreign Secretary comes to town – running logistics for the Gymnich
Post by Klaus Christensen, EU Presidency Logistics Officer, British Embassy Copenhagen Last week we concluded a successful two day visit by the Foreign Secretary William Hague to Copenhagen where he headed the UK delegation attending the EU Presidency Ministerial meeting known as ”The Gymnich”. Having the Foreign Secretary visit, makes the Gymnich the most high profile ministerial visit out of all the informal meetings in the EU Presidency package. In the … Read more »When the Foreign Secretary comes to town – running logistics for the Gymnich
The “Gymnich”
By Simon Wood, Deputy Head of Mission Heading down the straight towards the informal meeting of EU Foreign Ministers in Copenhagen on Friday and Saturday. It’s called the Gymnich – a term instantly recognised by EU politicos and observers but instantly uncomprehensible to most people in the real world. Apparently the name comes from a castle outside Bonn where the first such informal EU Foreign Ministers meeting took place in … Read more »The “Gymnich”
Danish EU Presidency – steady as she goes, but maybe choppy waters ahead
Deputy Head of Mission Simon Wood Excuse the nautical metaphor in the title – but my mind is thinking nautically having just been to visit HMS Illustrious, the Royal Navy’s aircraft carrier which is currently in Copenhagen and welcomed about 4000 public visitors on Saturday. This very impressive ship and crew are now sailing off for cold water exercises in freezing Arctic waters along with counterparts from Denmark and other … Read more »Danish EU Presidency – steady as she goes, but maybe choppy waters ahead
On the ground in Brussels: EU engagement close up
by Lars Muller, Press Officer Landing in Brussels on a cold winter Sunday evening was magically turned to warmth, laughter and Serbian pain (explanation to follow). As part of my work with the Danish EU Presidency, I paid a visit to the UK Representation to the EU in Brussels at the beginning of the week. And was thus able to first hand gain some experience of how we engage directly … Read more »On the ground in Brussels: EU engagement close up
And Justice For All
Fraser Thomas, Political Officer I attended the first informal of the Danish Presidency at the Bella Centre on Thursday 26th. From across the EU, Justice and Interior ministers, with their flocks of officials came to discuss some of the central challenges in Europe – asylum, solidarity, data collection/protection, migration etc. My day started early, the UK minister – Home Secretary Theresa May – had her first meeting with the Italian … Read more »And Justice For All
