Poland assumes Presidency of the EU

Poland assumed the Presidency of the Council of the European Union on July 1. And this FDC so thoughtfully sent to me by Ada from Warsaw with the impressive stamp on it was issued a day prior to that, namely on 30.6.2011, to commemorate this momentous occasion in the History of Poland.
The Council of the European Union is the EU's major decision-making body. The Council's main task is the adoption of European legislation – it does this with the European Parliament. The Council represents the countries of the EU. The Council is not composed of permanent members, but one minister from each EU country always participates in Council meetings. Decisions made by the Council are thus usually reached following negotiations between all EU members. A General Secretariat of the Council of the EU is based in Brussels; its responsibility is ensuring the Council's effective functioning.
The Presidency of the Council of the EU: What Does It Mean? A different EU country presides over the Council of the European Union's work every six months. Poland would take the presidency on July 1, 2011, and would be the host to a majority of the EU's events during that time. Poland will also play a key role in EU activities: It will organize EU meetings; set the EU's political agenda; and ensure the EU's development, integration and security.