Ministry of Education and Finnish EU Presidency 2006
Finland held the rotating Presidency of the
European Union for six months in the latter half of 2006. The Ministry of Education was responsible
for preparing the Presidency in the fields of education, research, culture, sport and youth policy.
The Prime Minister's Office was responsible for the overall coordination of the Finnish EU
Presidency.
During the Presidency, the Ministry of Education arranged an informal meeting of education
ministers, and 16 meetings of senior officials in different sectors. The Education and Culture
Council, chaired by Antti Kalliomäki, Minister of Education and Science and Tanja Saarela, Minister
of Culture, convened in Brussels. The Finnish EU presidency of the European Union also organised,
in co-operation with the European Commission, an informal conference of the sports ministers in
Brussels. Information about these meetings can be found in the Calendar section.
The Presidency priorities and agenda relating to education, culture, youth, sports, research
and audiovisual policy are presented under Policy areas.