Background Vocals: What Role for the Rotating Presidency in the EU’s External Relations post-Lisbon? Erika Márta SZABÓ DEPARTMENT OF EU INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND DIPLOMACY STUDIES EU Diplomacy Paper 05 / 2011 Department of EU International Relations and Diplomacy Studies EU Diplomacy Papers 5/2011 Background Vocals: What Role for the Rotating Presidency in the EU’s External Relations post-Lisbon? Erika Márta Szabó © Erika Márta Szabó 2011 Dijver 11 | BE-8000 Bruges, Belgium | Tel. +32 (0)50 477 251 | Fax +32 (0)50 477 250 | E-mail
[email protected] | www.coleurope.eu/ird About the Author Erika Márta Szabó holds a degree in International Relations from Corvinus University of Budapest, Hungary, including an exchange semester at the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium. In 2011 she completed the MA in EU International Relations and Diplomacy Studies at the College of Europe in Bruges, Belgium. This paper is a shortened version of her Master’s thesis submitted at the College of Europe in 2011 (Albert Einstein Promotion). Editorial Team: Andrew Bower, Gino Brunswijck, Francesca Fenton, Grzegorz Grobicki, Sieglinde Gstöhl, Vincent Laporte, Jing Men, Raphaël Metais, Charles Thépaut, Claudia Zulaika Escauriaza Dijver 11 | BE-8000 Bruges, Belgium | Tel. +32 (0)50 477 251 | Fax +32 (0)50 477 250 | E-mail
[email protected] | www.coleurope.eu/ird Views expressed in the EU Diplomacy Papers are those of the authors only and do not necessarily reflect positions of either the series editors or the College of Europe. 2 Abstract The crucial changes brought about by the Lisbon Treaty to the institutions of the European Union have affected and re-structured the role of the rotating Presidency.