Every six months an EU member state assumes the role of the rotating EU council presidency. On 1 January 2015, it will be our turn. Chairing meetings at every level in the council requires substantive preparation and a great sense of responsibility. The EU council presidency is a double challenge for those countries who assume it for the first time but it is also a good time to become known in Brussels, Europe and the wider world. For me personally, the presidency is largely about being an honest broker, a good organiser and a trustworthy partner.
We have opted for a Brussels-based presidency model. This means that most of the people involved in chairing the council's work and taking decisions will be working from Brussels rather than commuting from Riga. This allows us to be at the heart of all policy processes and be available to other member states and EU institutions.
"The presidency is largely about being an honest broker, a good organiser and a trustworthy partner"
To enrich our day-to-day work, we even have a Brussels based Latvian choir, dance group and theatre. Of course, the credit for this must go to Latvian expats in Brussels rather than presidency-related efforts. It serves as great support to us.
We have been preparing for the role of presidency for a number of years in close cooperation with our trio partners, Italy and Luxembourg, and also other EU member states. The general secretariat of the council, the European parliament and the commission all provided invaluable help. To be able to chair some 1500 meetings and 230 working groups within six months, our people have participated in intensive training sessions since early 2014 and, in some cases, since 2013. The preparation has also meant that the team at the permanent representation in Brussels will increase from its usual number of 62 to 185 in 2015.
The main priority areas of our presidency are competitive Europe, digital Europe and engaged Europe. To characterise my team, I would say that we are motivated, up-to-date and engaged in our work and with the world. In many ways, the presidency team in Brussels is representative of these priorities.
'Competitive Europe' has several meanings. It indicates the ability to compete, but it also refers to 'good', 'modest' and 'viable'. When we carried out a survey of our team, we discovered that 78 per cent of us have at last one Master's degree, we have spent on average nine years in the public sector and we speak on average 3.6 languages. This is a good mix of skills despite the relatively young average age of our personnel, which is 35.
"I can say with certainty that we have gathered the elite of Latvia's civil servants and are ready to take charge and lead the European Union for the next six months"
As for 'digital Europe', we already have an integrated digital society. 91 per cent of us have an account with at least one social media network and 94 per cent use a smartphone – there is no doubt that we are engaged. Over 80 per cent have sung in a choir at some point of our lives and almost half of us follow events related to our national sport – ice-hockey. More seriously, one of our focuses – 'engaged Europe' – places an emphasis on the eastern partnership. In this area, our team can bring an additional perspective and expertise, as 59 per cent of us have been to at least one of the six eastern partnership countries –Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus, Azerbaijan, Armenia or Georgia.
We have to add to these less serious statistics the expertise, experience and motivation of each of our diplomats and experts. This ensures I have a team I can rely on. Overall, we have done our best to make sure that all the people the presidency needs are in the right place. As a result, we have a motivated and dynamic team with an inherent sense of responsibility. And I can say with certainty that we have gathered the elite of Latvia's civil servants and are ready to take charge and lead the EU for the next six months.