Council of the European Union
The Council of the European Union (Council, sometimes referred to as the Council of Ministers) is the Union's main decision-making institution. It consists of the ministers of the fifteen Member States responsible for the area of activity on the agenda: foreign affairs, agriculture, industry, transport or whatever. Despite the existence of these different configurations depending on the area of activity, the Council is nonetheless a single institution. Each Member State in turn holds the chair for six months. Decisions are prepared by the Committee of Permanent Representatives of the Member States (Coreper), assisted by working parties of national government officials. The Council is assisted by its General Secretariat. Council decisions under the first pillar are adopted on the basis of Commission proposals. Following entry into force of the Treaty of Amsterdam in May 1999, the Secretary-General also acts as High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy. He is assisted by a Deputy Secretary-General, appointed by unanimous decision of the Council and responsible for running the Council's General Secretariat. Given the prospect of enlargement, the Treaty of Nice extended the scope of decisions adopted by qualified majority to other areas and to certain other aspects of policies already subject in part to qualified majority voting, such as the common commercial policy. See: •Committees and working parties •Coreper •High Representative for the CFSP (Mr/Ms CFSP) •Presidency of the Union (rotation of the Presidency) •Qualified majority •Right of initiative •Troika •Unanimity | ||||
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Council of the European Union Definition from Law Dictionaries & Glossaries
| European Commission Glossary of Justice and home affairs |
Council of the European Union
The EU’s main decision-making institution, consisting of the ministers of the 15 Member States responsible for each policy area, one of which is justice and home affairs. (See Website)
The EU’s main decision-making institution, consisting of the ministers of the 15 Member States responsible for each policy area, one of which is justice and home affairs. (See Website)
Council of the European Union Definition from Government Dictionaries & Glossaries
| EUROJARGON - English |
The Council of the European Union
Formerly known as the Council of Ministers, this institution consists of government ministers from all the EU countries. The Council meets regularly to take detailed decisions and to pass European laws.
Formerly known as the Council of Ministers, this institution consists of government ministers from all the EU countries. The Council meets regularly to take detailed decisions and to pass European laws.
Council of the European Union Definition from Encyclopedia Dictionaries & Glossaries
| Wikipedia English - The Free Encyclopedia |
Council of the European Union
The Council of the European Union (informally, the Council of Ministers or just the Council) is one of the two legislative institutions of the European Union, the other being the European Parliament. This Council should be distinguished from the European Council and the Council of Europe.
The Council, together with the Parliament, form the highest legislative body within the Union, but only within the competencies of the European Community. It is composed of twenty-seven national ministers (one per state). However the exact membership depends upon the topic being discussed, for example; when discussing the agricultural policy the twenty-seven national agriculture ministers form the Council. The ministers are accountable to their national electorates and together serve the second largest democratic electorate in the world (492 million). The Union's law is limited to specific policy areas, however it does override national law. As the Union operates on supranational and intergovernmental platforms, in some areas the Council is superior to the Parliament, having only to consult to get assent from the body. In many areas, however, the Union uses the legislative process of codecision procedure, in which the two bodies are equal in power.
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