PEU: The European Council

Summit diplomacy

• highest diplomatic and political level

  • Level of heads of states and governments

European council: created + treaties

• Created to provide leadership and sometimes quick response

• Summit in Paris in 1974: institutionalize the gatherings

• Lisbon treaty made European council a formal institution of the EU

European Council outline

1. The European Council shall provide the Union with the necessary impetus for its development and shall define the general political directions and priorities thereof. It shall not exercise legislative functions.

2. The European Council shall consist of the Heads of State or Government of the Member States, together with its President and the President of the Commission. The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy shall take part in its work.

3. The European Council shall meet twice every six months, convened by its President. When the agenda so requires, the members of the European Council may decide each to be assisted by a minister and, in the case of the President of the Commission, by a member of the Commission. When the situation so requires, the President shall convene a special meeting of the European Council.

4. Except where the Treaties provide otherwise, decisions of the European Council shall be taken by consensus.

Rarely votes

European council: power

• Huge importance as it brings heads of states and governments of member states together —> no legal power

  • Large impact on the other institutions

  • Council largely politically influenced by European council as if something is decided by head of state it will be passed on to ministers in the Council

European Council: Functions

• confidence-building at the highest political level

• Identifying medium and long term EU goals

• Initiating policies and setting the general guidelines

• Contributes to coordination of policy goals

• It is a political decision-maker (not a legislative decision maker)

Examples of Constitutional and Institutional matters on the agenda

• treaty development and reform

• Institutional matters such as the number of seats in the EP

• Personnel decisions such as appointing its President, theHRVP, President of the ECB, formally appointing the Commission, etc.

European Council: when do they meet

• 4 times a year in Brussels (since 2003)

  • 2 times per 6 months

  • Before that meetings were held in the capital of the current sitting president

• Extraordinary and informal meetings over two days including dinner, fireside chats and a family photo (group photo)

Who sits in the E Council?

• Members:

  • heads of states OR governments

    • Prime ministers/presidents

  • European council president

  • President of the European Commission

• Non-members

  • High representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (HRVP) attends for external relations agenda

• Since Seville: restriction of two participants per member state

• Since Lisbon: more sessions with only Heads of states or governments

E Council: seating order

• President and Secretariat General sit next to each other

• Directly across from them, President of Commission and European Central Bank (ECB)

• Around them sits the heads of state/government from the member states

E Council: decision making

• Results = European Council conclusions

• Political decision made by European Council but actual action will be taken by other institutions like the Council and Commission as they can create legislation

Dynamics of negotiations: doorstep comments

• Signals to public and the other member states what their position is on topics that will be discussed —> very thought out and purposeful

• Ex. Main question of 2019 Brexit was if the UK was going to be given an extension

How does the E Council meet?

• Meet formally - around the table

• Meet informally - through dinners, etc

  • Sometimes informal meetings can be more productive/easier

President of the European Council

• elected for 2.5 years by the European Council by QMV

  • Can be re-elected once → president for 5 years

• External representation

  • Meet with external leaders → outside of Europe

• Semi-permanent Chair of the European Council

• Facilitates cohesion and consensus

• Convenes extraordinary meetings of the European Council

• Clear ambitions in the area of external relations

• Informal tradition that president should come from ones that have been around the table —> heads of state (prime ministers) (not current ones)

  • Should have already been at the table not first getting there as president

Should the Candidate for President always have support of her/his member state? Poland example

No it does not

• Tusk was supported by the Polish government his first term as European Council president, however when reelection came the government in Poland had changed and they did not support him

  • Created a lot of discussion around support from ‘home’ country needed or not to be president

• Decision was that the support was not needed —> their role is outside and above their home country

  • Each country still gets representation through their heads of state/gov

 

Is the position of the President being politicized?

• Inside the European Council the president needs to be a broker (no position taken)

• Outside though it can be good for a political view to be taken —> contributes to more people becoming interested, contributed to EU polity

Examples of politicized role of President

• Tusk uniting and creating/finding consensus with the member states is the role of the president and he was able to do that with a more political view point

• Examples of what the president does through politics (politicization)

  • External relations

    • Media statements

    • Traveling to speak to other heads of states