European Council

While the European Council has no legislative power, it is a strategic (and crisis-solving) body that provides the union with general political directions and priorities, and acts as a collective presidency. The European Commission remains the sole initiator of legislation, but the European Council is able to provide an impetus to guide legislative policy.[2][3]

The meetings of the European Council, still commonly referred to as EU summits, are chaired by its president and take place at least twice every six months;[1] usually in the Europa building in Brussels.[4][5] Decisions of the European Council are taken by consensus, except where the Treaties provide otherwise.[6]

A traditional group photo, here taken at the royal palace in Brussels during Belgium's 1987 presidency

The European Council officially gained the status of an EU institution after the Treaty of Lisbon in 2007, distinct from the Council of the European Union (Council of Ministers). Before that, the first summits of EU heads of state or government were held in February and July 1961 (in Paris and Bonn respectively). They were informal summits of the leaders of the European Community, and were started due to then-French President Charles de Gaulle's resentment at the domination of supranational institutions (notably the European Commission) over the integration process, but petered out. The first influential summit held, after the departure of de Gaulle, was the Hague summit of 1969, which reached an agreement on the admittance of the United Kingdom into the Community and initiated foreign policy cooperation (the European Political Cooperation) taking integration beyond economics.[1][7]

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 Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, it was agreed that more high level, political input was needed following the "empty chair crisis" and economic problems.[8] The inaugural European Council, as it became known, was held in Dublin on 10 and 11 March 1975 during Ireland's first Presidency of the Council of Ministers. In 1987, it was included in the treaties for the first time (the Single European Act) and had a defined role for the first time in the Maastricht Treaty. At first only a minimum of two meetings per year were required, which resulted in an average of three meetings per year being held for the 1975-1995 period. Since 1996, the number of meetings were required to be minimum four per year. For the latest 2008-2014 period, this minimum was well exceeded, by an average of seven meetings being held per year. The seat of the Council was formalised in 2002, basing it in Brussels. Three types of European Councils exist: Informal, Scheduled and Extraordinary. While the informal meetings are also scheduled 1½ years in advance, they differ from the scheduled ordinary meetings by not ending with official Council conclusions, as they instead end by more broad political Statements on some cherry picked policy matters. The extraordinary meetings always end with official Council conclusions - but differs from the scheduled meetings by not being scheduled more than a year in advance, as for example in 2001 when the European Council gathered to lead the European Union's response to the 11 September attacks.[1][7]

The European Council at the signing of the Treaty of Lisbon in 2007

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: Leading to the definition of the Copenhagen Criteria.
• 1997, Amsterdam: Agreement on the Amsterdam Treaty.
• 1998, Brussels: Selected member states to adopt the euro.
• 1999; Cologne: Declaration on military forces.[9]
• 1999, Tampere: Institutional reform
• 2000, Lisbon: Lisbon Strategy
• 2002, Copenhagen: Agreement for May 2004 enlargement.
• 2007, Lisbon: Agreement on the 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 institution of the European Union with the entering into force of the Treaty of Lisbon, but even after it had been mentioned in the treaties (since the Single European Act) it could only take political decisions, not formal legal acts. However, when necessary, the Heads of State or Government could also meet as the Council of Ministers and take formal decisions in that role. Sometimes, this was even compulsory, e.g. Article 214(2) of the Treaty establishing the European Community provided (before it was amended by the Treaty of Lisbon) that ‘the Council, meeting in the composition of Heads of State or Government and acting by a qualified majority, shall nominate the person it intends to appoint as President of the Commission’ (emphasis added); the same rule applied in some monetary policy provisions introduced by the Maastricht Treaty (e.g. Article 109j TEC). In that case, what was politically part of a European Council meeting was legally a meeting of the Council of Ministers. When the European Council, already introduced into the treaties by the Single European Act, became an institution by virtue of the Treaty of Lisbon, this was no longer necessary, and the "Council [of the European Union] meeting in the composition of the Heads of State or Government", was replaced in these instances by the European Council now taking formal legally binding decisions in these cases (Article 15 of the Treaty on European Union).[10]

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 (resigning from Belgian Prime Minister).[12]

The European Council is an official institution of the EU, mentioned by the Lisbon Treaty as a body which "shall provide the Union with the necessary impetus for its development". Essentially it defines the EU's policy agenda and has thus been considered to be the motor of European integration.[1] Beyond the need to provide "impetus", the Council has developed further roles: to "settle issues outstanding from discussions at a lower level", to lead in foreign policy — acting externally as a "collective Head of State", "formal ratification of important documents" and "involvement in the negotiation of the treaty changes".[4][7]

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 foreign policy. It also exercises powers of appointment, such as appointment of its own President, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, and the President of the European Central Bank. It proposes, to the European Parliament, a candidate for President of the European Commission. Moreover, the European Council influences police and justice planning, the composition of the Commission, matters relating to the organisation of the rotating Council presidency, the suspension of membership rights, and changing the voting systems through the Passerelle Clause. Although the European Council has no direct legislative power, under the "emergency brake" procedure, a state outvoted in the Council of Ministers may refer contentious legislation to the European Council. However, the state may still be outvoted in the European Council.[11][13][14] Hence with powers over the supranational executive of the EU, in addition to its other powers, the European Council has been described by some as the Union's "supreme political authority".[4][7][11][15]

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 "Antici Group" in an adjacent room. The group is composed of diplomats and assistants who convey information and requests. Interpreters are also required for meetings as members are permitted to speak in their own languages.[1] 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, Alexander Stubb argued that there was no need for the President of Finland to attend Council meetings with or instead of the Prime Minister of Finland (who was head of European foreign policy).[16] In 2008, having become Finnish Foreign Minister, Stubb was forced out of the Finnish delegation to the emergency council meeting on the Georgian crisis because the President wanted to attend the high-profile summit as well as the Prime Minister (only two people from each country could attend the meetings). This was despite Stubb being Chair-in-Office of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe at the time which was heavily involved in the crisis. Problems also occurred in Poland where the President of Poland and the Prime Minister of Poland were of different parties and had a different foreign policy response to the crisis.[17] A similar situation arose in Romania between President Traian Băsescu and Prime Minister Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu in 2007–2008 and again in 2012 with Prime Minister Victor Ponta, who both opposed the president.

Members

The states of the European Union by the European affiliations of their leaders, as of 25 April 2020
Does not account for coalitions. Key to colours is as follows:

  European People's Party/EPP Group (12)

(AT, BG, CY, DE, GR, HR, HU, IE, LV, RO, SI, SK)

  Party of European Socialists (6)

(DK, ES, FI, MT, PT, SE)

  Renew Europe (ALDE, EDP, LREM) (6)

(BE, CZ, EE, FR, LU, NL)

  Independent (2)

(IT, LT)

  European Conservatives and Reformists Party (1)

(PL)

  European People's Party/EPP Group (12 + 1 non-voting from the EU institution)

  Party of European Socialists (6)

  Renew Europe (ALDE-member parties, EDP-member parties, LREM) (6 + 1 non-voting from the EU institution)

  Independent (2)

  European Conservatives and Reformists Party (1)

European Council
Member	Representative		Member	Representative		Member	Representative
European Union (non-voting) – Member since 1 December 2019 – Previous membership Prime Minister of Belgium 2014–2019 – Election 2019 Next by 2022		President of the European Council Charles Michel (RE/ALDE)	European Union (non-voting) – Member since 1 December 2019 – Election 2019 Next in 2024		President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen (EPP)	Kingdom of Belgium Belgique/België[a 1] (2.56% of population)[a 2] – Member since 27 October 2019 – Election 2019 Next by 2024		Prime Minister lit. First Minister Sophie Wilmès (RE/ALDE – MR)
Republic of Bulgaria България/Bulgaria (1.56% of population) – Member since 4 May 2017 – Previous membership Prime Minister 2009–2013; 2014–2017 – Election 2009, 2014, 2017 Next by 2021		Prime Minister lit. Minister-President Boyko Borisov (EPP – GERB)	Czech Republic Česko (2.35% of population) – Member since 13 December 2017 – Election 2017 Next by 2021		Prime Minister lit. Chairman of the Government Andrej Babiš (RE/ALDE – ANO)	Kingdom of Denmark Danmark (1.30% of population) – Member since 26 June 2019 – Election 2019 Next by 2023		Prime Minister lit. Minister of the State Mette Frederiksen (PES – S)
Federal Republic of Germany Deutschland (18.54% of population) – Member since 22 November 2005 – Election 2005, 2009, 2013, 2017 Next by 2021		Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel (EPP – CDU)	Republic of Estonia Eesti (0.30% of population) – Member since 23 November 2016 – Election 2019 Next by 2023		Prime Minister lit. Head Minister Jüri Ratas (RE/ALDE – EK)	Ireland Éire/Ireland (1.10% of population) – Member since 14 June 2017 – Election 2020 Next by 2025		Taoiseach Leo Varadkar (EPP – FG)
Hellenic Republic Ελλάδα/Elláda (2.40% of population) – Member since 8 July 2019 – Election 2019 Next by 2023		Prime Minister lit. President of the Government Kyriakos Mitsotakis (EPP – ND)	Kingdom of Spain España (10.49% of population) – Member since 2 June 2018 – Election 2019, 2019 Next by 2023		Prime Minister lit. President of the Government Pedro Sánchez (PES – PSOE)	French Republic France (14.98% of population) – Member since 14 May 2017 – Election 2017 Next by 2022		President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron (RE[a 3] – LREM)
Republic of Croatia Hrvatska (0.91% of population) – Member since 19 October 2016 – Election 2016 Next in 2020		Prime Minister lit. President of the Government Andrej Plenković (EPP – HDZ)	Italian Republic Italia (13.65% of population) – Member since 1 June 2018 – Election 2018 Next by 2023		Prime Minister lit. President of the Council of Ministers Giuseppe Conte (Ind. – Ind.)	Republic of Cyprus Κύπρος/Kýpros (0.20% of population) – Member since 28 February 2013 – Election 2013, 2018 Next by 2023		President of the Republic Nicos Anastasiades (EPP – DISY)
Republic of Latvia Latvija (0.43% of population) – Member since 23 January 2019 – Election 2018 Next by 2022		Prime Minister lit. Minister President Krišjānis Kariņš (EPP – V)	Republic of Lithuania Lietuva (0.62% of population) – Member since 12 July 2019 – Election 2019 Next by 2024		President of the Republic Gitanas Nausėda (Ind. – Ind.)	Grand Duchy of Luxembourg Luxembourg (0.14% of population) – Member since 4 December 2013 – Election 2013, 2018 Next by 2023		Prime Minister lit. First Minister Xavier Bettel (RE/ALDE – DP)
Hungary Magyarország (2.18% of population) – Member since 29 May 2010 – Election 2010, 2014, 2018 Next by 2022		Prime Minister lit. Minister President Viktor Orbán (EPP – Fidesz)	Republic of Malta Malta (0.11% of population) – Member since 13 January 2020 – Next by 2022		Prime Minister Robert Abela (PES – PL)	Kingdom of the Netherlands Nederland (3.89% of population) – Member since 14 October 2010 – Election 2010, 2012, 2017 Next by 2021		Prime Minister lit. Minister-President Mark Rutte (RE/ALDE – VVD)
Republic of Austria Österreich (1.98% of population) – Member since 7 January 2020 – Previous membership Federal Chancellor 2017–2019 – Election 2019 Next by 2023		Federal Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (EPP – ÖVP)	Republic of Poland Polska (8.49% of population) – Member since 11 December 2017 – Election 2019 Next by 2023		Prime Minister lit. President of the Council of Ministers Mateusz Morawiecki (ECR – PiS)	Portuguese Republic Portugal (2.30% of population) – Member since 26 November 2015 – Election 2019 Next by 2023		Prime Minister lit. First Minister António Costa (PES – PS)
Romania România (4.34% of population) – Member since 21 December 2014 – Election 2014, 2019 Next by 2024		President Klaus Iohannis (EPP – PNL[a 4] )	Republic of Slovenia Slovenija (0.47% of population) – Member since 13 March 2020 – Previous memberships Prime Minister 2004–2008, 2012–2013 – Next election in 2022		Prime Minister lit. President of the Government Janez Janša (EPP – SDS)	Slovak Republic Slovensko (1.22% of population) – Member since 21 March 2020 – Election 2020 Next by 2024		Prime Minister lit. President of the Government Igor Matovič (EPP Group[a 5] – OĽANO)
Republic of Finland Suomi/Finland (1.23% of population) – Member since 10 December 2019 – Next by 2023		Prime Minister lit. Head Minister Sanna Marin (PES – SDP)	Kingdom of Sweden Sverige (2.29% of population) – Member since 3 October 2014 – Election 2014, 2018 Next by 2022		Prime Minister lit. Minister of the State Stefan Löfven (PES – SAP)

Notes

1. Short names used within EU institutions.
2. Used in the calculation of the qualified majority voting. The share of the total population is based on the decision of the Council of the European Union on Member States populations for 2020
3. Macron's Party La Republique en March! is member of the European Parliament Renew Europe Group. Macron is also regularly attending Renew Europe Summits. https://www.aldeparty.eu/news/first-renew-europe-pre-summit-held-brussels
4. Membership in PNL suspended while holding the office of the president.
5. Officially independent but his party is member of the EPP Group in the European Parliament.

Also partially or fully attending, but not members

President of the European Parliament			High Representative of the Union
European Union – Position held since 3 July 2019 – Election 2019 Next by 2021		President of the European Parliament David Sassoli (PES)	European Union – Position held since 1 December 2019 – Election 2019 Next in 2024		High Representative of the Union Josep Borrell (PES)

Members timeline

The European Council is required by Article 15.3 TEU to meet at least twice every six months, but convenes more frequently in practice.[19][20] Despite efforts to contain business, meetings typically last for at least two days, and run long into the night.[20]

Until 2002, the venue for European Council summits was the member state that held the rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union. However, European leaders agreed during ratification of the Nice Treaty to forego this arrangement at such a time as the total membership of the European Union surpassed 18 member states.[21] An advanced implementation of this agreement occurred in 2002, with certain states agreeing to waive their right to host meetings, favouring Brussels as the location.[22] Following the growth of the EU to 25 member states, with the 2004 enlargement, all subsequent official summits of the European Council have been in Brussels, with the exception of punctuated ad hoc meetings, such as the 2017 informal European Council in Malta.[23] The logistical, environmental, financial and security arrangements of hosting large summits are usually cited as the primary factors in the decision by EU leaders to move towards a permanent seat for the European Council.[7] Additionally, some scholars argue that the move, when coupled with the formalisation of the European Council in the Lisbon Treaty, represents an institutionalisation of an ad hoc EU organ that had its origins in Luxembourg compromise, with national leaders reasserting their dominance as the EU's "supreme political authority".[7]

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.[24] 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.[25]

The EU command and control (C2) structure, as directed by political bodies which are composed of member states's representatives and generally require unanimous decisions, as of April 2019:[26]

Liaison:          Advice and recommendations          Support and monitoring          Preparatory work     

Political strategic level:

ISS

EUCO Pres. (EUCO)

Chain of command

Coordination/support

SatCen

CIVCOM

HR/VP (FAC)

INTCEN

HR/VP (PMG)

HR/VP (PSC) (******)

CEUMC (EUMC)

CMPD

DGEUMS (***) (EUMS)

Military/civilian strategic level:

Dir MPCC (***) (MPCC)

JSCC

Civ OpCdr CPCC(*)

Operational level:

MFCdr (****) (MFHQ)

HoM (*)

Tactical level:

CC(**) Land

CC(**) Air

CC(**) Mar

Other CCs(**)

Forces

Forces

Forces

Forces

• Laeken indicators
• Euro summit
• Presidency of the Council of the European Union

• Wessels, Wolfgang (2016). The European Council. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-0333587461.

• Official website
• Archive of European Integration – Summit Guide
• European Council Collection of documents - CVCE
• Reflection Group established by the European Council