The European Council

Original version: 

The European Council

The European Council, one of the several institutions of the European Union, plays an important role when it comes to setting a general political direction. It became an official body of the European Union in 2009 when the Treaty of Lisbon came into force. As the EU is often confronted with difficulties which cannot be solved by the individual member states, the heads of state or government of every EU country meet and decide on a general political direction as well as on the EU’s priorities. The decisions are made by consensus. This means that a concept or an idea has to be accepted by every voter or by the qualified majority depending on the nature of the treaty. In addition, the Commission President, the European Council President and the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy take part, but they are not allowed to vote. The meetings take place twice every 6 months usually in Brussels. However, the president Herman van Rompuy, can convene a special meeting if needed.

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Revised version:

The European Council

The European Council, one of several institutions of the European Union, plays an important role when it comes to setting a general political direction. This institution is composed of the Heads of State or Government of the Member States, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and the President of the European Commission, who is elected for a term of two and a half years and can be re-elected once. The European Council, which meets at least four times a year, focuses on setting the general political direction of the European Union, sets priorities and debates sensitive issues. The decisions are made by consensus. This means that a concept or an idea has to be accepted by every voter or by a qualified majority depending on the nature of the treaty. Although the European Council is not a legislative body, thus not allowed to pass laws, it is still the cornerstone of the European Union, setting all of its directions.

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