Published in April 2005, this paper assesses the Luxembourg presidency, with a particular focus on the Stability and Growth pact and the Lisbon Process, two major challenges for the presidency. The report was presented at the seminar The Luxemburg 2005 Presidency: Priorities and Strategy and is a part of the research project The EU Presidencies.

This paper discusses the domestic backgrounds and challenges of the 2004 Netherlands European Union Council Presidency. The paper reviews the national organisation and management of the Presidency with the use of empirical results from a written survey covering some 550 government officials.