The Evolution of the European Council as a major institution of the European Union Pre History How did the formation emerge? [10], The Treaty of Lisbon made the European Council a formal institution distinct from the (ordinary) Council of the EU, and created the present longer term and full-time presidency. [1][7], The summits were only formalised in the period between 1974 and 1988. On 1 January 2002 the euro starts circulation as banknotes and coins, replacing national currencies. The European Commission (EC) is the executive branch of the European Union, responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the EU treaties and managing the day-to-day business of the EU. The EU receives the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize for advancing the causes of peace, reconciliation, democracy and human rights in Europe. The European Council officially gained the status of an EU institution after the Treaty of Lisbon in 2007, distinct from the Council of the European Union (Council of Ministers). The press office is the first point of contact for all media requests. Article 214(2) of the Treaty establishing the European Community provided (before it was amended by the Treaty of Lisbon) that ‘the Council, meeting in the composition of Heads of State or Government and acting by a qualified majority, shall nominate the person it intends to appoint as President of the Commission’ (emphasis added); the same rule applied in some monetary policy provisions introduced by the Maastricht Treaty (e.g. [7], Originally, both the European Council and the Council of the European Union utilised the Justus Lipsius building as their Brussels venue. History, Role, and Activities of the Council of Europe: Facts, Figures and Information Sources . This documentary traces the history of the European Council from its foundation down to the present day. Meetings of the European Council have from its beginnings often emphasized political as well as economic cooperation among EU nations; for example, the impetus for the move to have the members of the European Parliament elected directly by universal suffrage came out of an agreement reached at the first meeting of the European Council in 1974. [4][5] Decisions of the European Council are taken by consensus, except where the Treaties provide otherwise. Ten new countries join the EU together: the Czech Republic, Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia. The European Council is now the summit conference of heads of state or government of the EU Member States. It is a political and economic union between European countries that sets policies concerning the members’ economies, societies, laws, and, to some extent, security. The new European Council meets for the first time in March 1975 in Dublin. Just a year later, by March 1970, the “Inter-University Council on Western European Studies”–soon renamed simply the Council for European Studies–would be created as a direct result of these discussions. Macron is also regularly attending. They were informal summits of the leaders of the European Community, and were started due to then-French President Charles de Gaulle's resentment at the domination of supranational institutions (notably the Eur… Charles Michel replaces Donald Tusk as President of the European Council. Historically, the European Council met at least once in the country holding the Council Presidency. The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy also takes part in its meetings. History. The Maastricht Treaty comes into force creating the European Union based on an enlarged 'Community' pillar. They were informal summits of the leaders of the European Community, and were started due to then-French President Charles de Gaulle's resentment at the domination of supranational institutions (notably the European Commission) over the integration process, but petered out. At the push of a button members can also call for advice from a Permanent Representative via the "Antici Group" in an adjacent room. Two months later, an agreement was signed establishing the provisional Council – the acronym CERN was born. The Treaty of Lisbon enters into force, reforming the structure of the EU and the way in which it functions. Bulgaria and Romania become EU members, bringing the number of member states to 27.   The European Council gets the second read on all laws and can accept the Parliament’s position, thus adopting the law. At an intergovernmental meeting of UNESCO in Paris in December 1951, the first resolution concerning the establishment of a European Council for Nuclear Research (in French Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire) was adopted. In the 1950s, when an embryonic European Union was taking shape, national leaders had to improvise every time they wanted to meet. The first meeting of the Council of the EEC takes place on 25 January 1958 under the chairmanship of Victor Larock, the Belgian Foreign Affairs Minister. At first only a minimum of two meetings per year were required, which resulted in an average of three meetings per year being held for the 1975–1995 period. All Council of Europe member states have signed up to the European Convention on Human Rights, a treaty designed to … It was designed to balance the supranational character of the High Authority, to ensure the say of smaller countries on matters not directly related to coal and steel and to prevent them from […] Although the European Council has no direct legislative power, under the "emergency brake" procedure, a state outvoted in the Council of Ministers may refer contentious legislation to the European Council. It is a political and economic union between European countries that sets policies concerning the members’ economies, societies, laws, and, to some extent, security. Directive 2013/32/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 June 2013 on Common Procedures for Granting and Withdrawing International Protection (recast)(applicable from 21 July 2015), 2013 O.J. Interpreters are also required for meetings as members are permitted to speak in their own languages. Austria, Finland and Sweden join the EU. The Rome treaties establish the European Economic Community (EEC) and the European Atomic Economic Energy Community (Euratom). However, the state may still be outvoted in the European Council. The European Council endorses the creation of the Eurogroup, an informal body that brings together the finance ministers of countries whose currency is the euro. [11][13][14] Hence with powers over the supranational executive of the EU, in addition to its other powers, the European Council has been described by some as the Union's "supreme political authority". At the beginning, each Community had its own executive body: the High Authority for the European Coal and Steel Community (1951) and a Commission for each of the two communities set up by the Treaty of Rome in 1957, the EEC and Euratom. 1945 – The end of World War II; 1951 – Treaty of Paris creates Coal and Steel Community 1957 – Treaty of Rome creates European Economic Community (by "The Six": Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and West Germany) 1963 – Ankara Agreement initiated a three-step process toward creating a Customs Union which would help secure Turkey's full membership in the EEC. The Schengen Agreement will gradually allow people to travel without having their passports checked at internal borders. Find out more about documents and publications. In the Paris European summit of February 1974, it was decided that these meetings of Heads of State or Government should henceforth be held on a regular basis under the name of ‘European Council’, which would be able to adopt a general approach to the problems of European inte… Id. The European Council was a body of leaders based in Europe during Great World War III in 1972 that was composed of the leaders of some of the major Western European nations. Second, the Council has been affected by changes in the organization of the European Council. Find out more about the events and treaties which have shaped the roles of the European Council, the Council of the EU, the Eurogroup and the Euro Summit. The European Council officially gained the status of an EU institution after the Treaty of Lisbon in 2007, distinct from the Council of the European Union (Council of Ministers). Between 2008 and 2014, for example, it met around seven times a year. [20], Until 2002, the venue for European Council summits was the member state that held the rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union. During its 50 years' activity the organisation has deepened and spread its … The European Council brings together EU leaders to set the EU's political agenda. The European Council (informally EUCO) is a collegiate body that defines the overall political directions and priorities of the European Union. Implementation of the Schengen Agreement starts later, in 1995. The first Eurogroup meeting is held on 4 June 1998 at the Chateau de Senningen in Luxembourg. The press office holds press events, offers audiovisual coverage of major events and provides facilities for journalists. Statement by Donald Tusk on his re-election as President of the European Council. As the composition is not precisely defined, some states which have a considerable division of executive power can find it difficult to decide who should attend the meetings. While an MEP, Alexander Stubb argued that there was no need for the President of Finland to attend Council meetings with or instead of the Prime Minister of Finland (who was head of European foreign policy). It is defined as providing the impetus and general political guidelines for the EU's development. Two months later, an agreement was signed establishing the provisional Council – the acronym CERN was born. Originally a Western European organization, it … This eases distrust and tensions between neighbouring European countries following World War II. The council is made up of the Union’s 27 heads of state, plus a president. [4][7], Since the institution is composed of national leaders, it gathers the executive power of the member states and has thus a great influence in high-profile policy areas as for example foreign policy. But the need to respond to pressing events in Europe and in the rest of the world, as well as the determination of some, would gradually transform their informal chats into the decision-making centre that we know today. However, European leaders agreed during ratification of the Nice Treaty to forego this arrangement at such a time as the total membership of the European Union surpassed 18 member states. Since October 2003, all formal European Council meetings take place in Brussels. Since 1996, the European Council meets at least four times a year. [17] A similar situation arose in Romania between President Traian Băsescu and Prime Minister Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu in 2007–2008 and again in 2012 with Prime Minister Victor Ponta, who both opposed the president. The Council of the EU and the European Council work on a wide range of issues affecting the interests of the EU and its citizens. However, when necessary, the Heads of State or Government could also meet as the Council of Ministers and take formal decisions in that role. [4][7][11][15], The European Council consists of the heads of state or government of the member states, alongside its own President and the Commission President (both non-voting). Before that, the first summits of EU heads of state or government were held in February and July 1961 (in Paris and Bonn respectively). [6], The European Council officially gained the status of an EU institution after the Treaty of Lisbon in 2007, distinct from the Council of the European Union (Council of Ministers). In June 1988 the European Council confirmed the objective of the progressive realisation of Economic and Monetary Union (EMU). [5] This resulted in the Europa building, which opened its doors in 2017.   The European Council gets the second read on all laws and can accept the Parliament’s position, thus adopting the law. At the December summit in Paris in 1974, following a proposal from then-French president Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, it was agreed that more high level, political input was needed following the "empty chair crisis" and economic problems. However, since the Treaty of Lisbon, this has been discontinued, as the size of the body had become somewhat large following successive accessions of new Member States to the Union. Since 1996, the number of meetings were required to be minimum four per year. It mandated a committee chaired by Jacques Delors, the then President of the European Commission, to study and propose concrete stages leading to this union. Though the idea of the EU might sound simple at the outset, the European Union has a rich history and a unique organization, both of which aid in its current success and its ability to fulfill its mission for the 21st Century. If you would like to see how they look like, all European Council conclusions are available here. Almost all members of the European Council are members of a political party at national level, and most of these are members of a European-level political party or other alliances such as Renew Europe. At an intergovernmental meeting of UNESCO in Paris in December 1951, the first resolution concerning the establishment of a European Council for Nuclear Research (in French Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire) was adopted.. Two months later, an agreement was signed establishing the provisional Council – the acronym CERN was born. The European Council sets the EU’s policy agenda and deals with the most sensitive questions confronting the EU. Post-Brexit United Kingdom relations with the European Union, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Treaty establishing the European Community, Article 15 of the Treaty on European Union, Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, European Conservatives and Reformists Party, Presidency of the Council of the European Union, decision of the Council of the European Union on Member States populations for 2021, Command and control structure of the European Union, "Consolidated versions of the Treaty on European Union and the Treaty on the functioning of the European Union", "EUROPA – The European Council: Presidency Conclusions", "EUROPA : Home of the European Council and the Council of the EU - Consilium", "Evolution of the European Council: The implications of a permanent seat", "The founding of the European Council: economic reform and the mechanism of continuous negotiation", "EU Security Policy & the role of the European Commission", Wikisource: Article 2(3)(e), Treaty of Lisbon, "The Union's institutions: The European Council", "BBC News — Belgian PM Van Rompuy is named as new EU president", "EU Reform Treaty Analysis no. At an intergovernmental meeting of UNESCO in Paris in December 1951, the first resolution concerning the establishment of a European Council for Nuclear Research (in French Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire) was adopted. Herman Van Rompuy is elected for a second term as President of the European Council, from 1 June 2012 to 30 November 2014. The Council of Europe is the continent's leading human rights organisation. It extends the use of qualify majority voting at the Council. His term runs from 1 December 2014 to 31 May 2017. [7] Additionally, some scholars argue that the move, when coupled with the formalisation of the European Council in the Lisbon Treaty, represents an institutionalisation of an ad hoc EU organ that had its origins in Luxembourg compromise, with national leaders reasserting their dominance as the EU's "supreme political authority". views 1,349,221 updated undefined 21 2020. History. by Sophie Lobey. Officially independent but his party is member of the EPP Group in the European Parliament. Spain and Portugal join the EU, increasing membership of the European Communities to 12. You can get in contact to arrange a visit, ask questions about the work of both institutions, and request a document, among other services. [4][15] The role of that President-in-Office was in no sense (other than protocol) equivalent to an office of a head of state, merely a primus inter pares (first among equals) role among other European heads of government. The European Community had a Council and Commission common to all members. Council of Europe (not be confused with the European Council, the EU’s policy-making body), organization of European countries that seeks to protect democracy and human rights and to promote European unity by fostering cooperation on legal, cultural, and social issues. We will use this data to improve your experience on our website. With your permission, we will use AT internet cookies to produce aggregated, anonymous data about our visitors' browsing and behaviour on our website. The European Parliament gets the first read of all laws the Commission proposes. The first of these ‘European summits’ took place in Paris in 1961 and they have become more frequent since 1969.