Belgium will hold the Presidency of the EU during the last six months of 2010.

On 1 July 2010, Belgium will take over the Presidency of the EU. This means that Belgium will lead the work of the EU for six months. Formally, it is the Government that holds the Presidency, but the Belgian Federal Parliament (House of Representatives and Senate) is also involved and will be hosting a number of Conferences.

Furthermore, the Belgian Federal Parliament, together with the European Parliament, will arrange joint parliamentary meetings with the national Parliaments of the EU member states in Brussels.

The largest conference to be organised by the Belgian Federal Parliament will be the COSAC on 25-26 October 2010 at the Egmont Palace in Brussels. COSAC is a body for cooperation and a forum for discussion for the committees of the national parliaments dealing with EU affairs. The Federal advisory Committee on EU Affairs of the Federal Belgian Parliament participates in the COSAC meetings.

The Chairs of the House and/or Senate Committees on Finance, Social Affairs and the Renewal of Society, Foreign Affairs and Infrastructure will host meetings during the autumn 2010 with their colleagues from the national parliaments of the EU. All meetings will take place in the Belgian Federal Parliament.

A conference on gender equality will also be hosted by the Senate.

The Chairs of the Environment Committees of the national Parliaments are invited by the Flemish Parliament. The parliament of the French Community, the Walloon Parliament and the Brussels Regional Parliament will organise together a meeting with the Chairs of the scientific research and innovation committees from the national parliaments of the EU.