Promoting policy consistency and continuity in the EU through the trio: Alcohol-related harm on the council presidency agenda

Abstract

To what extent has the new trio group presidency model that was implemented in 2007 contributed to improved policy consistency and continuity in the European Union (EU)? This article addresses this question by comparing the role alcohol, as a health and social policy issue, has played on the agenda of individual national and trio Council presidencies since the EU Alcohol Strategy was adopted in 2006. Based on systematic analyses of 21 national and 7 trio Council presidency work programmes in the period between 2007 and 2017, the article concludes that the new trio presidency model has led to improved policy consistency and continuity through its promotion of the wider EU agenda, thus contributing to strengthen the image of the Council as a ‘club’. The close relationship between the European Commission and the trio presidencies in the preparation of the joint trio work programmes is here a key factor.