Managing Challenges of the EU Council Presidency: Techniques and Skills for Successful Meetings and Negotiations

The course will be conducted in English and French, with simultaneous interpretation provided in both languages. Pour lire la description en Français, cliquez ici.

The success of a Council Presidency relies heavily on its ability to ensure momentum and achieve results. The Presidency has to deliver results within complex formal and informal processes of negotiation and elaborate cross-cultural and interpersonal communication. This seminar covers the strategic, logistical, procedural, and practical aspects of these challenges, and the action steps as well as the inter-personal skills required to successfully manage them.

This bilingual training (French-English, with simultaneous interpretation) is delivered with the support of the International Organisation of the Francophonie (OIF). It aims at civil servants and national representatives who will be involved in managing EU negotiations and decision-making procedures when they assume the presidency of Council of the European Union working groups.

What you will learn

This course covers the strategic, practical, and interpersonal aspects of the complex formal and informal dynamics of the negotiation processes under the leadership of Council Presidencies.  The course advises members of ‘Presidency teams’ on how to get results collectively and survive individually. It focuses on communication aspects and public speaking performance.

It also aims to contribute to an exchange of practices and to foster connections between different Presidencies. The seminar is highly interactive and consists of a combination of simulation exercises, workshops, case studies and presentations.

Why attend?

The key objective of the programme is to update and upgrade, in a practical way, the tactical and relevant strategic Presidency skills of the participants. After this training, they will be appropriately equipped to:

• Identify their role and added value: Find their strategic position, define their precise role, and highlight their contribution to the success of the presidency.
• Master meeting facilitation: Open and run meetings smoothly – from presenting the agenda to proposing a presidency compromise text.
• Decode delegation dynamics: Analyse the positions, interventions, and tactics of national delegations to anticipate and influence debates.
• Optimise institutional relations: Effectively manage interactions with the Council Secretariat, the Commission, national delegations, and European Parliament representatives, in both formal and informal procedures.
• Master advanced negotiation techniques: Acquire and apply concrete tools to bridge differences, conclude agreements, craft compromises, and break deadlocks.

Course methodology

The programme emphasises practice, alternating realistic simulations, interactive workshops, exchanges of best practices, and concrete feedback from experience. Throughout the process, participants assess and refine their negotiation and communication skills to effectively defend – both individually and collectively – the role, functions, and prerogatives of the presidency team. To maximise learning, preparatory work is required between sessions.

This training offers an interactive approach to master essential skills in communication, negotiation techniques, and chairing, in order to effectively steer the work of the Council’s preparatory bodies.

Participants benefit from experiential learning through:

• Two immersive simulations: realistic scenarios to test skills in authentic conditions;
• Management of institutional pressure: awareness of strategies to handle the intense political and legislative agendas of European institutions;
• Skills development: refinement through practical know-how and insights from multiple debriefing sessions and analysis of their performance in negotiation simulations.

This course is aimed at members of the “presidency teams”, such as:

• future presidents, co-presidents/vice-presidents of the Council’s preparatory bodies;
• national delegates representing their country during the presidency;
• attachés/advisors from permanent representations;
• EU coordinators;
• technical managers/experts operating from their home country.

Project number: 2613301

Course venue – to be determined
Brussels (BE)

Programme Organiser
Ms Noëlle Debie
Tel: +31 43 32 96 226
n.debie@eipa.eu

Fee
The fee includes documentation, refreshments and lunches. Accommodation and travel costs are at the expense of the participants or their administration.

Discounts
EIPA member fee
EIPA offers a discount to all civil servants working for one of EIPA’s supporting countries, and civil servants working for an EU institution, body or agency.

Who are the supporting countries?
Civil servants coming from the following EIPA supporting countries are entitled to get the reduced fee: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden.

For all other participants, the regular fee applies.

Early bird discount
EIPA offers 10% off on registrations made eight weeks or more before the start of a course. The early bird discount is not cumulative with other discounts or promo codes, except for the EIPA member fee.

Loyalty coupon
As a token of appreciation we offer all our participants a loyalty coupon for one of our future courses. The offer can be shared with colleagues and relevant networks. The coupon will expire one year after its release. This discount is not cumulative with other discounts, except for the EIPA member fee.

Meals
Dietary preferences can be indicated on the registration form.

Confirmation
Confirmation of registration will be forwarded to participants on receipt of the completed online registration form.

Payment
Prior payment is a condition for participation.

Cancellation policy
For administrative reasons you will be charged €150 for cancellations received within 15 days before the activity begins. There is no charge for qualified substitute participants.

EIPA reserves the right to cancel the activity up to 2 weeks before the starting date. In that case, registration fees received will be fully reimbursed. EIPA accepts no responsibility for any costs incurred (travel, accommodation, etc.).

A few days before the start of the course you will receive the log-in details for accessing the course materials. You can log in here.