Decisions of the European Council are milestones in the history of the European Union. All other Council meetings are chaired by the relevant minister of the country holding the rotating EU presidency. The Council makes the final decision to conclude the agreement, after the Parliament has expressed its approval (necessary in fields that fall under the codecision procedure), and following the ratification by all Member States. The Council of the European Union, often referred to in the treaties and other official documents simply as the Council , and informally known as the Council of Ministers, is the third of the seven Institutions of the European Union (EU) as listed in the Treaty on European Union. This includes the Union’s humanitarian and development aid, defence and trade. Depending on the configuration, each country sends their minister responsible for that policy area. The Foreign Affairs Council has a permanent chairperson - the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. For example, representatives from the presidency country chair its meetings. With each reading, the proposal passes through three levels within the Council: This allows for a technical analysis of the proposal at working group level, the political responsibility for the proposal being assumed at ministerial level, while the examination by the ambassadors within COREPER combine technical knowledge and political analysis. The role and duties of the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. It negotiates and adopts legislation, in most cases, together with the European Parliament through the ordinary legislative procedure, also known as codecision. Traditionally, it is considered that within the institutional architecture of the European Union the Council represents the interests of Member States governments, while the European Parliament represents the interests of citizens, and the Commission represents the interests of the Union as a whole. The president of the European Council is the person presiding over and driving forward the work of the European Council, as well as a principal representative of the European Union (EU) on the world stage. In the Brussels-based Council, government ministers from each EU country meet to discuss, amend and adopt laws, and coordinate policies. Exclusive competencies of the Council of the European Union: Customs Union; competition policies; monetary policy in the Euro area; the preservation of marine biological resources within the maritime policy (fishing quotas of each State); common commercial policy; international agreements (when the activity field on which the agreement is provided in the European legislation). Thus, it was at meeting of heads of state and government that treaty change was agreed: the Single European Act (Luxembourg 1987), the Treaty of European Union (Maastricht 1992), the Treaty of Amsterdam (Amsterdam 1997), the Nice Treaty (Nice 2000), and the Treaty of Lisbon (Lisbon 2007). It is headquartered in Strasbourg, France. Both of these come with their respective laws and make sure the application of these laws in the most convincing manner. You already know that the Treaties are important sources of information about the European Union institutions, but it is important that you start using them. It is directly-elected and made up of 705 members (MEPs) representing all EU countries. There are no fixed members of the EU Council. 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). The Council of the European Union is one of the seven institutions created by the European Union Treaties and, together with the European Parliament and the European Commission, it is involved in the drafting of the European legislation. The European Union (abbreviation: EU) is a confederation of 27 member countries in Europe established by the Maastricht Treaty in 1992-1993. Overall consistency is ensured by the General Affairs Council - which is supported by the Permanent Representatives Committee. The Council of the European Union The Council of the EU is the institution representing the member states' governments. The European Parliament gets the first read of all laws the Commission proposes. European Union and the Council of Europe are two independent organizations being aimed towards the integration of the whole Europe and its consequent progress. Codecision is used for policy areas where the European Union has exclusive or shared competence with the member states. Definition of council of the european union in the Definitions.net dictionary. The Council of the European Union negotiates and adopts EU legislation together with the European Parliament. The Council of Europe is the continent's leading human rights organisation. The Council of the European Union The Council of the EU is the institution representing the member states' governments. The Council of the European Union (also called the Council and the "Council of Ministers", its former title) forms one half of the EU's legislature. The Council of Europe is the continent's leading human rights organisation. Eurozone countries coordinate their economic policy through the Eurogroup, which consists of their economy and finance ministers. Such agreements may cover wide areas, such as trade, cooperation and development, or can refer to specific subjects such as textiles, fishing, customs, transport, science and technology. The composition of the council changes frequently, as governments send different representatives depending on the policy area under discussion. During the last video, we talked about the European Council. It is usually adopted in December and starts on January 1, the following year. Unlike the Parliament that has a decision-making capacity in certain areas, the Council exercises its decision-making rights on virtually all EU legislation. Codecision applies in policy areas where the Union has exclusive or shared competence with the Member States. It is important to avoid confusions and emphasize that the Council of the European Union is different from the European Council which gathers the EU heads of state/government in Brussels and different also from the Council of Europe, located in Strasbourg, the latter being an international institution not included in the European Union structure. For example, when the Council meeting on economic and financial affairs (the "Ecofin Council") is held, it is attended by each country's finance minister. The analysis is also known as “reading”. The Council of the European Union is one of the seven institutions created by the European Union Treaties and, together with the European Parliament and the European Commission, it is involved in the drafting of the European legislation. The European Council defines the overall political direction and priorities of the European Union, setting its policy agenda. The Council of Ministers of the EU is one of the EU's two legislative chambers, the other being the European parliament.   Agreements reached in Eurogroup gatherings are formally decided upon in the Council the next day, with only ministers of Eurozone countries voting on those issues. Council of Europe (not be confused with the European Council, the EU’s policy-making body), organization of European countries that seeks to protect democracy and human rights and to promote European unity by fostering cooperation on legal, cultural, and social issues. You may realise that they are not as complex as they seem. What is the Council of the European Union? Meaning of council of the european union. Also known informally as the EU Council, it is where national ministers from each EU country meet to adopt laws and coordinate policies. In this case, the Council enacts laws based on the proposals submitted by the European Commission. At the end of negotiations, the Council decides on the signing and conclusion of the agreement, acting on a proposal from the Commission. In a series of very specific fields, the Council makes decisions using special legislative procedures (the assent and the consultation procedure) in which the role of the Parliament is limited. The GSC's Translation Service (LING) With 500 million citizens and 24 official languages in the EU, multilingualism is a cherished principle enshrined in … Also known informally as the EU Council, it is where national ministers from each EU country meet to adopt laws and coordinate policies. Instead, the Council meets in 10 different configurations, each corresponding to the policy area being discussed. For example, if a policy area is not cited in a treaty, the Commission cannot propose a law in that area. In the Council of the EU, informally also known as the Council, government ministers from each EU country meet to discuss, amend and adopt laws, and coordinate policies. Also known informally as the EU Council, it is where national ministers from each EU country meet to adopt laws and coordinate policies. Before that, the first summits of EU heads of state or government were held in February and July 1961 (in Paris and Bonn respectively). The EU grew out of the European Economic Community (EEC) which was established by the Treaties of Rome in 1957. Its members are elected every five years. Best known for the European Convention on Human Rights. The Council, together with the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, ensures the unity, consistency, and effectiveness of the European Union’s external action. The Council adopts the budget of the European Union together with the European Parliament. It negotiates and adopts legislative acts in most cases together with the European Parliament through the ordinary legislative procedure, also known as 'codecision'. Depending on the configuration, each country sends their minister responsible for that policy area.For example, when the Council meeting on economic and financial affairs (the \"Ecofin Council\") is held, it is attended by each country's finance minister. A maximum of three readings can take place before the Council and the Parliament agree on a legislative proposal or reject it. The Council of the European Union is responsible for coordinating the policies of Member States in specific fields, such as: – economic and budgetary policies: The Council coordinates the economic and budgetary policies of the Member States, in view of consolidating economic governance in the European Union, monitoring their budgetary policies and strengthening the budgetary framework of the European Union, while also dealing with the legal and practical aspects of the Euro currency and with capital flows; – education, culture, youth, and sports: The Council adopts the policy frameworks of the European Union and the work plans in these fields, establishing the cooperation priorities between the Member States and the Commission; – employment policy The Council issues, following the conclusions of the European Council, yearly guidelines and recommendations to Member States concerning the employment situation in the European Union; The Council defines and implements the common foreign and security policy of the European Union, based on the guidelines set by the European Council. 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