In this interview, António Vitorino, Member of the European Commission with special responsibility for justice and home affairs from 1999 to 2004 and Special Adviser in 2007 to the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the European Union, outlines the challenges of the internal and external programme of the Presidency during the second half of 2007.

In this interview, António Vitorino, Member of the European Commission with special responsibility for justice and home affairs from 1999 to 2004 and Special Adviser in 2007 to the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the European Union, outlines the advantages of the new way in which the Council’s activities are planned, based on an 18-month programme devised for the first time by the German, Portuguese and Slovenian Presidencies.

In this interview, António Vitorino, Member of the European Commission with special responsibility for justice and home affairs from 1999 to 2004 and Special Adviser in 2007 to the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the European Union, explains how a small or medium-sized country such as Portugal prepares for a half-yearly Presidency and emphasises the benefits of the experience acquired and the contacts established during this period.

In this interview, António Vitorino, Member of the European Commission with special responsibility for justice and home affairs from 1999 to 2004 and Special Adviser in 2007 to the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the European Union, comments on the importance of the very close cooperation between the Portuguese Presidency of the Council and the President of the European Commission, José Manuel Durão Barroso.

In this interview, António Vitorino, Member of the European Commission with special responsibility for justice and home affairs from 1999 to 2004 and Special Adviser in 2007 to the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the European Union, emphasises the success of the three Council Presidencies held by Portugal in 1992, 2000 and 2007.