The Belgian EU Presidency has faced a number of tough challenges. These include reaching an agreement on the new initiatives about the EU:s economic decision-making system as well as handling the continuous economic crisis. The Presidency has also had to focus on the effective implementation of the Lisbon Treaty and to deal with the associated institutional uncertainties. The report is part of the research project The EU Presidencies and was presented at the seminar The Belgian EU Presidency"--Publisher's description.