Presiding in the Shadows. The Rotating Council Presidencies as Structures of Opportunity for the Legitimization of the European Union

The rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union (RPCEU) used to be seen as a window of opportunity both to raise the international profile of the incumbent Member State and for more numerous and better discussions around European politics at home. The Lisbon Treaty has changed the political power and agenda-setting capacity of the RPCEU and has also blurred its image. The multiplication of EU figureheads has challenged both the agency and the exposure of national rotating presidencies. In addition to institutional changes, the multiple crises the EU has faced for more than a decade have further reduced the potential to lead attributed to the RPCEU. This contribution questions the opportunities and constraints for a Member State in the exercise of the RPCEU and examines how it contributes or fails to contribute to the legitimization of the EU as a whole. Our findings suggest an erosion of the RPCEU’s institutionalization in both formal and non-formal terms and, consequently, a decline in its added value in terms of legitimization. The limitations of the rotating presidencies as communicative and symbolic entrepreneurs do not allow—or only to a limited extent—them to reach a larger audience beyond the usual boundaries of the European public sphere. The impact of RPCEUs on citizens’ perceptions of the EU turns out to be weak, at best.