'Turbulent times': European Parliament's political leaders discuss priorities for incoming Council presidency

European Parliament President Martin Schulz and the leaders of the political groups visited the Netherlands on 3 December to discuss the country taking over the Council presidency on 1 January 2016. "We are facing turbulent times, never before now the situation was as difficult as it is and the level of acceptance of the European Union is at its lowest level," Schulz said. "In this context the next six months become crucial and all the institutions, European Parliament and Council included, must deliver."

In The Hague the Parliament delegation met all members of the Dutch government, including Prime Minister Mark Rutte, in the morning when they discussed issues such as migration, trade and the upcoming referendum in the UK.

After a visit to King Willem-Alexander, Schulz and the group leaders met the chairs of the Netherlands' two parliamentary chambers as well as the leaders of the different political parties. During the meeting, they stressed the importance of co-operation between national parliaments as well as with the European Parliament.