European Council Flashcards
Role of the European Council
Defines the general political direction and priorities of the European Union
Members of the European Council
Heads of state or government of EU countries, European Council President, European Commission President
President of the European Council
Donald Tusk
When was the European Council established?
1974 - informal forum
1992 - formal status
2009 - official EU institution
Where is the European Council located
Brussels, Belgium
The European Council brings together
EU leaders to set the EU’s political agenda.
The European Council represents
the highest level of political cooperation between EU countries.
One of the EU’s 7 official institutions, the Council takes the form of
summit meetings between EU leaders, chaired by a permanent president.
What does the European Council do?
Decides on the EU’s overall direction and political priorities – but does not pass laws.
Deals with complex or sensitive issues that cannot be resolved at lower levels of intergovernmental cooperation
Sets the EU’s common foreign & security policy, taking into account EU strategic interests and defence implications
Nominates and appoints candidates to certain high profile EU level roles, such as the ECB and the Commission
On each issue, the European council can
ask the European Commission to make a proposal to address it.
pass it on to the Council of the EU to deal with
The European Council is made up of the
Heads of state or government of all EU countries, the European Council president, and the European Commission president
The European Council is convened and chaired by
its President, who is elected by the European Council itself for a once-renewable two-and-a-half-year term.
The president represents
The EU to the outside world
The European council meets
4 times a year
The president of the council has the power to
Convene additional meetings to address urgent issues
