Poland to formally hand over EU Presidency to Denmark

Also attending will be European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso, President of the European Parliament and a former Polish prime minister Jerzy Buzek and President of Cyprus Dimitris Christofias.

Poland, Denmark and Cyprus constitute the so-called European Council troika, which means the htree countries co-ordinate priorities and long term strategies.

Cyprus takes over the presidency on 1 July.

The presidency requires Denmark to chair summits and intergovernmental meetings for the six-month period.

A press release from the Danish Presidency said this week will see the first Presidency meetings at the political level, including the meeting between the Danish Government and the European Commission, scheduled for 11 to 12 January. (pg)