In 2009 the European Union introduced the Lisbon Treaty. One of the changes this brought about was the introduction of a permanent president of the European Council. With this transformation the...Show moreIn 2009 the European Union introduced the Lisbon Treaty. One of the changes this brought about was the introduction of a permanent president of the European Council. With this transformation the former EU presidency no longer exists and this thesis investigates the implications of this change. This is done by specifically looking at the national interests discussed in the European Council. Before the Lisbon Treaty Member States were able to influence the European Council by pushing their national interests, but based on the new institutional settings of the permanent presidency, this seemed after Lisbon more unlikely. An analysis of nine rotating presidencies of the Council of the European Union after Lisbon has been made and compared to the respective European Council conclusions of that period. The results show that in fact national interests have been discussed in the European Council. Nevertheless, only a third of all national interests has been discussed. On the other hand, the analyses also reveal that on average the discussed national interests in the European Council have significant similarity with the national interests of the Member States. Furthermore, the analysis brought also forward that certain national interests that seem not significant for the European Council have been discussed in the European Council, which could indicate that Member States can still push their national interests. In conclusion, national interests were discussed only to a low extent in the European Council, answering the research question of this thesis: to what extent are national interests of Member States presiding over the Council of the European Union discussed during European Council meetings?Show less
