The European Council, informally called the European summit, is a meeting of the heads of state or government of the European Union, and the President of the European Commission.
The establishment of the Council was agreed at the December 1974 Paris summit of the European Economic Community Heads of Government following a proposal from Valéry Giscard d'Estaing. The inaugural Council was held in Dublin on 10-11 March, 1975 during Ireland's first Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Approximately three annual meetings were held, there are now on average four European Councils each year. Discussion and decisions take place on the matters of key issues and direction of the EU. This institution is different from the Council of the European Union (which includes the ministers with the relevant portfolios) and the Council of Europe (which is an unrelated international organization).
Council venues
Traditionally the summits of the European Councils have been held in the country currently holding the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. However, in late 2000 it was agreed at the Nice European Council that in the future half the European Councils would be held in Brussels and eventually all would be held there.
Two factors prompted this decision. Firstly, with the impending enlargement of the European Union to 25 or more members, rotating the site of the Council meeting between member states was going to become more difficult. Secondly, Belgium was threatening to hold up the Treaty of Nice, unhappy with the way larger states were going to hold more power in European institutions. Holding the summits in Brussels was meant to encourage Belgium to accept the deal.
The decision was further justified by the increasing violence at European Council meetings, which culminated in the shooting of a protester at the Gothenburg European Council in Sweden in June 2001. It was felt that the Belgian government had more experience at dealing with anti-EU protests, and that putting them in one location would enable increased security.
The proposal has since been strongly criticised by many European Union member states, principally the smaller states and those furthest from Brussels, who have argued that it would in practice be impossible for their leaders to fulfill all the functions of the presidency in Brussels and govern effectively in their own states, the suspicion being that the idea was designed to reduce the practical control exercised by the state nominally holding the presidency, with the day-to-day running of the presidency resting permanently in Brussels among Eurocrats. New members of the EU were particularly opposed and were seeking to overturn the Nice decision.
The proposed Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe proposed to switch the rotating presidency to a 2½-year chair (see below) and all member states' governments have supported the proposal, this issue now seems to be off the political agenda - even though the Treaty itself has failed to gain ratification.
Council presidents
The role of President of the assembled European Council is performed by the head of government or head of state of the member state currently holding the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The role as president is in no sense equivalent to a head of stateship, merely a primus inter pares (first among equals) role with other European heads of government. The President is primarily responsible for preparing and chairing Council meetings, and has no executive powers.
The current President is Wolfgang Schüssel of Austria, whose term expires in June 2006. For information on upcoming Presidents see Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
Under the provisions contained in the proposed Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, which has yet to be ratified by all member states, the rotating Presidency will be replaced by a permanent 2½-year chair, chosen by the heads of government themselves. The role and responsibilities of the President will be the same as at present, i.e. administrative and non-executive.
Current composition of the European Council
- Main article: Parties in the Council of the European Union
Summary by political leanings
List of councils
See also
