President of the European Commission José Manuel Durão Barrosso officially handed over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union to Denmark's Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt in Bella Center in Copenhagen on January 11th, 2012. The Danish government must give priority to a more dynamic, open, secure and greener Europe, said Barroso. He's confident that the Danish Presidency will bring the EU closer to its citizens. It's the 7th time that Denmark holds the EU Presidency.