The European Union (EU) has 28 member states. The presidency of the union rotates amongst the member states after every six months. The country that holds presidency has the responsibility of preparing and holding most of the EU meetings throughout the entire presidency period, where all meetings are attended by representatives from each member state. Formal meetings for the EU ministers are usually held in Luxembourg or Brussels. However, the presiding country usually holds informal or preparatory meetings for civil servants and state ministers in their own country.
Netherlands is set to hold presidency of the Union in the first half of 2016. This will be the 12th time that this country will be holding presidency, the previous one being in 2004. Putting in consideration the costly expenses of setting up and the dismantling meeting facilities such as press rooms, interpreting booths and communication equipment, the Dutch government has decided that this time round, the meetings will be held in a single location. This is unlike other years where meetings would be held in different locations. This will also be convenient for a single location for guests, organizers and journalists.
The Marine Establishment dockyard located in Amsterdam is the select location for meetings throughout the entire period of the Dutch presidency. This area has multiple buildings perfect for conferences and meetings. The area is set to be developed for commercial, leisure and residential purposes. This year, Netherlands is set to use the same presidency logo that they used during their presidency in 2004. This is a major way of emphasizing the recurring presidency cycle. The studio Dumbar of Rotterdam designed this striking logo.
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