From Saturday, Estonia holds the presidency of the Council of the European Union for the first time. This means that Estonia is responsible for defining the Council’s positions while taking into account the interests of all member states and remaining neutral at the same time. This is definitely a worthy task for Estonia as it is about to celebrate its anniversary; the centenary of the Republic of Estonia is in 2018. The presidency of the Council rotates among the EU member states every 6 months. Estonia will pick up the baton of the presidency from the Malta.

Last month, ALDE Party’s magazine Liberal Bulletin held an exclusive interview with the Prime Minister of Estonia, Jüri Ratas of ALDE Party member Keskerakond. Amongst the key priorities, Ratas said: “The Estonian Presidency of the European Council comes at a defining time for the European Union. The EU does not just need to speak as one, but also to act as one, because unity shows its true value in action. One of the most fundamental challenges of the European Union is consistently explaining the value of the EU and showing that it works. We need to prove that we are willing and capable of making difficult decisions and show real results. The EU is an answer or at least alleviation to crises; it finds answers to new challenges and works towards positive change. Both the Member States and the EU institutions need to work first and foremost for the wellbeing of the citizens.”

Read the full interview here.

For more information about the Estonian Presidency, please visit the Presidency website.