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This paper examines the means that were used by the Presidency and the European Commission to overcome obstacles and arrive at an agreement following important European environmental negotiations that took place in Brussels in autumn 2008. We focus on the effect of time pressure first on the negotiations, and second on the management of the process. In this case, the process is understood to mean the planning of the negotiations in the broader sense. This planning gave rise to a reduction in the timeframe and space in which talks took place, which accounts in part for their leading to an agreement. We also examine the effect of the fact that the normal qualified majority voting procedure was abandoned in favor of a procedure that was more demanding in terms of consensus.