On Jan. 1, Germany took the presidency of the Council of Ministers of the European Union, the bloc's main decision-making body. For six months, German Chancellor Angela Merkel will be charged with conducting the EU's business and finding answers to tough questions, such as further expansion and the union's ongoing constitutional crisis.

Other issues the German presidency plans to focus on include securing Europe's future energy supplies, cutting down on bureaucracy, and climate control.

Get more background information on the challenges for Germany's EU presidency in this DW-WORLD.DE dossier.

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