European Council - summits
The European Council consists of the heads of state or government of the Member States, the permanent President, Herman van Rompuy, and the President of the Commission. The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Catherine Ashton, also takes part in these meetings. The European Council determines the EU's general political guidelines and priorities. The European Council meets twice per six-month period at what are generally referred to as EU summits. The country holding the Presidency may also convene extra summits.
European Council Brussels 17 June 2010: Jerzy Buzek, President of the European Parliament, and Fredrik Reinfeldt Prime Minister.
With the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon, the European Council has become an own institution in its own right with a permanent president (Herman van Rompuy since December 2009) who is elected for two and a half years, renewable once. When necessary the members of the Council may be represented by a minister and the President of the Commission may be represented by a commissioner.
Summit
Summits were established in the 1960s alongside the other EU decision-making structures and became more regular in the early 1970s. They received formal status in Paris in 1974. Until the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon, the European Council was led by the head of state or government of the country holding the rotating Presidency. With the new Treaty, the European Council has become an institution in its own right with a permanent president and a work programme of its own.
The majority of the European Council's work is prepared by the Council for General Affairs, in which EU ministers/foreign ministers first adopt the agenda, an annotated agenda', and then the draft conclusions of the summit. A few days before the summit, the President of the European Council sends a letter to the members of the European Council and to the High Representative inviting them to the summit. The letter contains a general list of issues to be dealt with. Since the European Council became an institution in its own right, there has also been a formal agenda for each summit. The European Council usually meets in Brussels. It is represented by the Council's Secretariat General.
Give impetus and establish guidelines
European Council Summit in Brussels, 17 June 2010: Catherine Ashton, Andrus Ansip, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero
The European Council is often described as the most important body in the EU, and its role has been strengthened. Under the Treaty on European Union, its task is to provide the Union with the necessary impetus for its development and define the general political guidelines thereof'. Since it is somewhat removed from the detailed, everyday decision-making process it can often resolve problems in the work of the EU. The European Council can also swiftly intervene in the event of a crisis, especially if the representatives are in agreement.
Decision-making
Decision-making
The European Council rarely takes formal decisions but it establishes, through conclusions, general political guidelines for the EU. The guidelines drawn up are included in the Presidency conclusions'. They are an important instrument for the follow-up of the European Council's guidelines carried out by the institutions and Member States. Through the conclusions, the European Council can urge the Council, the Commission and the Member States to act in a particular way.
