ORGANISATION OF THE PREPARATIONS
The preparations of the Slovak Presidency of the Council of the EU in the 2nd half of 2016 (SK PRES 2016) are organised in the following way:
| Level of coordination | Coordination body | Responsible national authority |
|---|---|---|
| 1st level - interseciorial | Inter-ministerial Coordination Committtee | Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of Slovakia |
| 2nd level - sectorial | Sectorial working group | Ministry of Environment of Slovakia |
The Slovak Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs (MFEA SR), or more specifically, the Secretariat for the Preparation of the Slovak Council Presidency 2016, is responsible for the overall coordination, planning and preparing of SK PRES 2016. However,the Department for European Policies of the MFEA SR is in charge of the overall coordination of defining a political programme.
To ensure that coordinated, consistent and thus effective and high-level SK PRES 2016 is delivered throughout the whole public sector, the Inter-ministerial Coordination Committee for the Preparation of SK PRES 2016 was established at the MFEA in 2012. Composed of the State Secretaries of ministries and the Head of the Government Office, it is chaired by P. Javorčík, the State Secretary of the MFEA SR (the central coordinator of SK PRES 2016 preparations). The committee, as an expert advisory governmental body on the preparation of SK PRES 2016, advises ministries and other central bodies of state administration in all aspects of the preparations and puts forward relevant proposals to the government. Besides the political level, the committee operates within inter-ministerial working groups that address various issues relating to SK PRES 2016 preparations (budget matters, human resources and public service training, logistics and security as well as cultural and media coverage). The preparation of the Presidency political programme is addressed by the Commission on European Affairs (instituted at the MFEA SR).
The second level of coordination of SK PRES 2016 preparations is represented by particular ministries and other central bodies of state administration. Within the Slovak Ministry of Environment, the Department of Implementation of the EU Environmental Policy of the Directorate for Environmental Policy is responsible for these preparations.
In order to ensure the smooth and consistent preparation of SK PRES 2016 within the Ministry, the Working Group on the Preparation of the Slovak Council Presidency was established at the Ministry in 2013. The group, led by State Secretary J. Ilavský, convenes those Director-Generals and Directors who are engaged in the preparations for, and who will carry out, the Presidency.
In addition, specific status is given to the Slovak Permanent Representation to the EU in Brussels, which is directly engaged in the preparations, as our Presidency will be “Brussels-based” and thus it will play a key role during this period.
Last update 20/03/2015