To mark the kickoff the Netherlands Presidency of the Council of Ministers of the European Union on the 1st of January 2016, the Netherlands Ambassador H.E. Mr. Karel Hartogh hosted a reception for part of the diplomatic community in Bangkok and Thai government officials last Tuesday night.
The Presidency of the European Union rotates among the member states every six months. The country that holds the Presidency prepares and chairs most of the EU meetings in that period. EU meetings are attended by representatives of all 28 member states.
The formal meetings of EU ministers take place in either Brussels or Luxembourg, but the Presidency also holds preparatory and informal meetings for member state ministers and civil servants in its own country.
The Netherlands will also organize working group meetings and conferences on subjects that are of common concern to the member states. During its presidency the Netherlands will focus on topics such as employment and growth, migration, internal and external security, climate change, and sound EU finances and fiscal policy.
The reception on Tuesday night was opened with speeches by H.E. Mr. Karel Hartogh, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, H.E. Mr. Jesús Miguel Sanz, Ambassador and Head of the EU-Delegation in Thailand, and H.E. Dr. Apichart Chinwanno, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand.
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