The presidency of the European Union (EU) is one of the most important institutional actors for the improvement of democracy and equality between the member states. To hold a presidency is a big task and for many countries a tough challenge. What makes a presidency successful? The purpose of the thesis is to examine this question using Ole Elgströms’ “four properties for defining a successful presidency” as the theoretical background. This thesis will employ a comparative framework of four countries, using size and age (age understood as “time being an EU Member State”) as the defining factors. A common understanding is that big Member States get more benefits from holding the presidency than small ones. This thesis shows that a Member State doesn’t necessarily need to be big to be successful, and that size can be compensated for through skillful diplomacy, administrative expertise and experience. The thesis also shows that Member States’ age is a more important factor in a successful presidency than size, and that older members therefore have some advantages when it comes to facing the challenges of holding the Council presidency.
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