The Austrian EU council presidency: An overview

The most important items on the agenda were: the constitutional treaty and the debate on the future of the Union; enlargement, foreign policy, crisis management; energy policy, growth and employment, internal market; finances of the Union; area of freedom, security and justice; sustainable development. The domestic agenda of the semester was marked by a series of horizontal issues including growth and employment, energy, migration and security - solid routine work rather than watershed decisions. In terms of foreign policy the semester was characterized by a series of unexpected challenges, all of which suggest that the EU's role at the international stage is likely to remain an issue of paramount importance. New ground was broken with regard to energy policy and crisis management.