European Council
Institution of the European Union | |
Location | |
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Official language | 24 languages 2 main official languages
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Charles Michel | |
Website | consilium.europa.eu |
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The European Council (informally EUCO) is a collegiate body (
Established as an informal summit in 1975, the European Council was formalised as an institution in 2009 upon the
Scope
While the European Council has no
The meetings of the European Council, still commonly referred to as
History
The European Council officially gained the status of an EU institution after the
The summits were only formalised in the period between 1974 and 1988. At the December summit in Paris in 1974, following a proposal from then-French president
Some meetings of the European Council—and, before the European Council was formalised, meetings of the heads of government—are seen by some as turning points in the history of the European Union. For example:[1]
- 1969, The Hague: Foreign policy and enlargement.
- 1974, Paris: Creation of the council.
- 1985, Milan: Initiate IGC leading to the Single European Act.
- 1991, Maastricht: Agreement on the Maastricht Treaty.
- 1992, Edinburgh: Agreement (by treaty provision) to retain at Strasbourg the plenary seat of the European Parliament.
- 1993, Copenhagen Criteria.
- 1997, Amsterdam Treaty.
- 1998, Brussels: Selected member states to adopt the euro.
- 1999; Declaration on military forces.[9]
- 1999, Tampere: Institutional reform
- 2000, Lisbon: Lisbon Strategy
- 2002, Copenhagen: Agreement for May 2004 enlargement.
- 2007, Lisbon Treaty.
- 2009, Brussels: Appointment of first president and merged High Representative.
- 2010, European Financial Stability Facility
As such, the European Council had already existed before it gained the status as an
The Treaty of Lisbon made the European Council a formal institution distinct from the (ordinary) Council of the EU, and created the present longer term and full-time presidency. As an outgrowth of the Council of the EU, the European Council had previously followed the same Presidency, rotating between each member state. While the Council of the EU retains that system, the European Council established, with no change in powers, a system of appointing an individual (without them being a national leader) for a two-and-a-half-year term—which can be renewed for the same person only once.[11] Following the ratification of the treaty in December 2009, the European Council elected the then-Prime Minister of Belgium Herman Van Rompuy as its first permanent president; he resigned the prime ministerial position.[12]
Powers and functions
The European Council is an official
Since the institution is composed of national leaders, it gathers the executive power of the member states and has thus a great influence in high-profile policy areas as for example
Composition
The European Council consists of the heads of state or government of the member states, alongside its own President and the Commission President (both non-voting). The meetings used to be regularly attended by the national foreign minister as well, and the Commission President likewise accompanied by another member of the commission. However, since the Treaty of Lisbon, this has been discontinued, as the size of the body had become somewhat large following successive accessions of new Member States to the Union.[1][4] Meetings can also include other invitees, such as the President of the European Central Bank, as required. The Secretary-General of the Council attends, and is responsible for organisational matters, including minutes. The President of the European Parliament also attends to give an opening speech outlining the European Parliament's position before talks begin.[1][4]
Additionally, the negotiations involve a large number of other people working behind the scenes. Most of those people, however, are not allowed to the conference room, except for two delegates per state to relay messages. At the push of a button members can also call for advice from a Permanent Representative via the "
As the composition is not precisely defined, some states which have a considerable division of executive power can find it difficult to decide who should attend the meetings. While an MEP,
Eurozone summits
A number of ad hoc meetings of heads of state or government of the member states of the euro area were held in 2010 and 2011 to discuss the Sovereign Debt crisis. It was agreed in October 2011 that they should meet regularly twice a year (with extra meetings if needed). This will normally be at the end of a European Council meeting and according to the same format (chaired by the President of the European Council and including the President of the Commission), but usually restricted to the (currently 20) heads of state or government of the member states of the eurozone.[citation needed]
President
The President of the European Council is elected by the European Council by a
Members
- Notes
- ^ Michel had already been a member of the Council from October 2014 to October 2019 as Prime Minister of Belgium.
- ^ Mitsotakis had already been Prime Minister, and therefore a member of the Council, from July 2019 to May 2023.
- ^ Tusk had already been a member of the Council from November 2007 to September 2014 as Prime Minister, and from December 2014 to November 2019 as its President.
- ^ Membership in PNL is formally suspended while in office.
- ^ Fico had already been Prime Minister, and therefore a member of the Council, from July 2006 to July 2010 and from April 2012 to March 2018.
Political alliances
Almost all members of the European Council are members of a political party at national level, and most of these are also members of a political party at European level or other alliances such as Renew Europe. These frequently hold pre-meetings of their European Council members, prior to its meetings. However, the European Council is composed to represent the EU's states rather than political alliances and decisions are generally made on these lines, though ideological alignment can colour their political agreements and their choice of appointments (such as their president).[citation needed]
The charts below outline the number of leaders affiliated to each alliance and their total voting weight. The map indicates the alignment of each individual country.
Members timeline
Seat and meetings
The European Council is required by Article 15.3 TEU to meet at least twice every six months, but convenes more frequently in practice.[20][21] Despite efforts to contain business, meetings typically last for at least two days, and run long into the night.[21]
Until 2002, the venue for European Council summits was the member state that held the rotating
Originally, both the European Council and the Council of the European Union utilised the Justus Lipsius building as their Brussels venue. In order to make room for additional meeting space a number of renovations were made, including the conversion of an underground carpark into additional press briefing rooms.[25] However, in 2004 leaders decided the logistical problems created by the outdated facilities warranted the construction of a new purpose built seat able to cope with the nearly 6,000 meetings, working groups, and summits per year.[5] This resulted in the Europa building, which opened its doors in 2017. The focal point of the new building, the distinctive multi-storey "lantern-shaped" structure in which the main meeting room is located, is utilised in both the European Council's and Council of the European Union's official logos.[26]
Role in security and defence
The EU command and control (C2) structure is directed by political bodies composed of member states' representatives, and generally requires unanimous decisions. As of April 2019:[27]
- Liaison: Advice and recommendations Support and monitoring Preparatory work
Political strategic level:[5] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
ISS | EUCO Pres. (EUCO) | Chain of command | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Coordination/support | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
SatCen | CIVCOM | HR/VP (FAC) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
INTCEN | HR/VP (PMG) | HR/VP (PSC)[6] | CEUMC (EUMC) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
CMPD | DGEUMS[3] (EUMS) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Military/civilian strategic level: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Dir MPCC[3] (MPCC) | JSCC | Civ OpCdr CPCC[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Operational level: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
MFCdr[4] (MFHQ) | HoM[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tactical level: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
CC[2] Land | CC[2] Air | CC[2] Mar | Other CCs[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Forces | Forces | Forces | Forces | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
- 1 In the event of a CSDP Civilian Mission also being in the field, the relations with the Civilian Planning and Conduct Capability (CPCC) and its Civilian Operation Commander (Civ OpCdr), as well as the subordinate Head of Mission (HoM), are coordinated as shown.
- 2 Other Component Commanders (CCs) and service brancheswhich may be established.
- 3 The MPCC is part of the EUMS and Dir MPCC is double-hatted as DGEUMS. Unless the MPCC is used as Operation Headquarters (OHQ), either a national OHQ offered by member states or the NATO Command Structure (NCS) would serve this purpose. In the latter instance, Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe (DSACEUR), rather than Dir MPCC, would serve as Operation Commander (OpCdr).
- 4 Unless the MPCC is used as Operation Headquarters (OHQ), the MFCdr would be known as a Force Commander (FCdr), and direct a Force Headquarters (FHQ) rather than a MFHQ. Whereas the MFHQ would act both on the operational and tactical level, the FHQ would act purely on the operational level.
- 5 The political strategic level is not part of the C2 structure per se, but represents the political bodies, with associated support facilities, that determine the missions' general direction. The Council determines the role of the High Representative (HR/VP), who serves as Vice-President of the European Commission, attends European Council meetings, chairs the Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) and may chair the Political and Security Committee (PSC) in times of crisis. The HR/VP proposes and implements CSDP decisions.
- 6 Same composition as Committee of Permanent Representatives (COREPER) II, which also prepares for the CSDP-related work of the FAC.
See also
- Laeken indicators
- Euro summit
- Presidency of the Council of the European Union
- List of members of the European Council
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Consolidated versions of the Treaty on European Union and the Treaty on the functioning of the European Union" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 August 2017. Retrieved 2 December 2009.
- ^ Art. 13 et seq of the Treaty on European Union
- ISBN 9780742519145.
- ^ a b c d e f g "EUROPA – The European Council: Presidency Conclusions". European Commission. Retrieved 11 December 2011.
- ^ a b "EUROPA : Home of the European Council and the Council of the EU – Consilium". www.consilium.europa.eu. Retrieved 7 May 2017.
- ^ Art. 15(4) of the Treaty on European Union
- ^ a b c d e f Stark, Christine. "Evolution of the European Council: The implications of a permanent seat" (PDF). Dragoman.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 July 2007. Retrieved 12 July 2007.
- S2CID 156950352– via Taylor and Francis+NEJM.
- ^ "EU Security Policy & the role of the European Commission". European Commission. Archived from the original on 22 October 2007. Retrieved 22 August 2007.
- ^ Wikisource: Article 2(3)(e), Treaty of Lisbon
- ^ a b c "The Union's institutions: The European Council". Europa (web portal). 21 February 2001. Archived from the original on 21 December 2009. Retrieved 12 July 2007.
- ^ "Belgian PM Van Rompuy is named as new EU president". BBC News. 20 November 2009. Retrieved 20 November 2009.
- ^ Peers, Steve (2 August 2007). "EU Reform Treaty Analysis no. 2.2: Foreign policy provisions of the revised text of the Treaty on the European Union (TEU)" (PDF). Statewatch. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 October 2007. Retrieved 26 September 2007.
- ^ Peers, Steve (2 August 2007). "EU Reform Treaty analysis 1: JHA provisions" (PDF). Statewatch. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 October 2007. Retrieved 26 September 2007.
- ^ ISBN 9789279205125. Retrieved 12 July 2007.
- ^ "Finnish Conservatives name Stubb foreign minister". new Room Finland. 1 April 2008. Archived from the original on 16 January 2009. Retrieved 1 April 2008.
- ^ Phillips, Leigh (29 August 2008). "Spats over who gets to go to EU summit break out in Poland, Finland". EU Observer. Retrieved 1 September 2008.
- ^ "European Council: The President's role". Retrieved 21 March 2015.
The President the European Council is elected by the European Council by a qualified majority. He is elected for a 2.5-year term, which is renewable once.
- ^ "Current membership of the European Council".
- ^ "Consolidated version of the Treaty on European Union" – via Wikisource.
- ^ a b "The European Council – the who, what, where, how and why – UK in a changing Europe". ukandeu.ac.uk. Retrieved 7 May 2017.
- ^ "Treaty of Nice" – via Wikisource.
- ^ "Permanent seat for the European Council could change the EU's nature". EURACTIV.com. 18 September 2002. Retrieved 7 May 2017.
- ^ "Informal meeting of EU heads of state or government, Malta, 03/02/2017 – Consilium". www.consilium.europa.eu. Retrieved 7 May 2017.
- ^ "Why PMs won't miss going to EU Council summits". Sky News. Retrieved 7 May 2017.
- ^ "New HQ, new logo". POLITICO. 15 January 2014. Retrieved 7 May 2017.
- ^ EU Command and Control, p. 13, Military Staff
Further reading
- Wessels, Wolfgang (2016). The European Council. ISBN 978-0333587461.