lecture 6 - The European Council Flashcards
the European Council
- # EUCO
- member state representation
- not part of the legislative square/triangle
The European Council = summit diplomacy (highest level) + high political power (though small legal power)
origins:
- beginning EU integration 60s-70s ad hoc meetings (for leadership and quick response), but no institutionalization
- Summit Paris 1974 = institutionalization, but no specific roles, functions (was necessary to navigate changing environment + crises (e.g. empty chair crisis)
- ESA= got some legal recognition
- Maastricht Treaty = EUCO provides general direction and strategic guidance
- Lisbon Treaty = it became a formal EU institution
Art.9b Treaty = EUCO provides Union impetus for development + defines general political directions and priorities
!! treaty highlights it has no legislative functions
EUCO consists of: Heads of State or Government MS, EUCO President, President of the Commission, HRVP (only takes part, has no voting rights)
EUCO meets 2x every six months and sometimes extraordinary meetings + informal meetings
decision-making by consensus (but EUCO rarely votes (votes: appointments, sanctions)
functions EUCO
- confidence-building at highest political level
- identify medium- and long-term EU goals
- initiates policies and sets general guidelines (ministerial council follows up)
- contributes to coordination of policy goals
- political decision-maker, not legislative (it does not make law)
constitutional + institutoinal matters on the agenda
- e.g. treaty dev. and reform, nr. seats in EP, personnel decisions (President ECB)
who takes the seat?
members:
- heads of state or government
- European Council President
- President of the European Commission
also: HRVP attends for external relations agenda items (but: no member)
informality, socialization -> bigger chance breakthrough
- Seville -> restriction on two participants per MS
- Lisbon -> more sessions with only heads of States or Government
!representative commission always (also in other EU institutions) opposite to the President of the EUCO
outcomes EUCO
= Council conclusions
decided by unanimity
e.g. EUCO invites the Commission to….
e.g. EUCO compliments the dev. of .. on …
example of the extraordinary European Council meeting
Special Brexit Summit 10 April 2019
- doorstep comments = heads of states/gov. signal their positions, show dynamics negotiation: implies if the negotiations will be easyer or not
*Luxembourg and France in favor of short extend, rest not really
!no view in the summit, but many journalists present + twitter updates
- in general: over time more transparancy EUCO meetings
- journalism here = highly dynamic: 28 different sources, different stories -> try to find out what was said exactly
The President of the European Council
- elected for 2.5 years by the Council QMV, can be re-elected once
- external representation highest EU level
- semi-permanent chair of the European Council
- shall endeavor to facilitate cohesion and consensus (can also be done in advance of meetings
*art.15 - clear ambitions in the area of external relations
! informal practice: election between top-level, experience in Council candidates
should the president of the European Council always have support of the member state?
no: president is for whole EU, national representation is not the role of the president
*president is not the head of gov./state of a MS
e.g. re-election Tusk as President: his party no longer in gov. in Poland -> Poland wouldn’t support re-election Tusk -> vote (!rare) of 27-1 for re-election
! Poland wanted a formal vote to show at home that they tried (backfired: was received as failure)
*vote rather than unanimity/consensus as normal
President of the European Council - is the position ‘politicized’?
inside meetings = should be negotiator, neutral broker
outside meetings = often more political opinion
e.g. Donald Tusk strong Tweets about Brexit
outside politicized role can be perceived as positive: leads to more attention/interest EU politics
it is a researchable topic
Example recent research
Uwe Puetter: Councils in the center of the ‘‘new intergovernmentalism’’
integration paradox: MS eager for integration, but outside of the community method (which is more supranational, involvement of EP and Commission)
now: European Council prime agenda setter and more important in day-to-day politics in economic governance
- EUCO leadershp role in areas close to sovereignty: eco. gov. + foreign affairs + security and defense + social and employment coordination
joint decision making = non-legislative decision-making, geared towards permanent consensus and direct member states involvement in all stages of policy process