Introduction to the EU Council and Decision-Making (Week 6)

A vocabulary set covering key terms related to the EU Council, its configurations, institutions, and the legislative process.

European Council

Highest level of political meetings of heads of state and government; sets the overall political direction of the EU; has strategic authority; designated as an EU institution in the Lisbon Treaty (2009).

Council of the European Union

Represents the governments of the EU; 27 ministers meet to discuss EU matters; shares decision making with the European Parliament; presidency rotates every six months; meets in Brussels or Luxembourg.

European Commission

Proposes EU budget and laws; executive body led by 27 Commissioners.

European Parliament

Represents EU citizens; consists of 705 MEPs; votes on the budget and most EU laws; shares legislative power with the Council; can censure the Commission and approves Commissioners.

Lisbon Treaty (2009)

Treaty that designated the European Council as an EU institution; introduced the ordinary legislative procedure and a permanent President of the European Council.

President of the European Council

Permanent chair of European Council summits; term is 2.5 years, renewable once; cannot hold another job to ensure objectivity.

COREPER

Community of Permanent Representatives; heads of national diplomatic missions to the EU; prepares the meetings of the Council and links Brussels with national governments.

COREPER I

Working groups of senior diplomats handling general and technical matters within COREPER.

COREPER II

Working groups of senior diplomats handling political and major issues within COREPER.

General Affairs Council (GAC)

One of the ten Council configurations; oversees coordination of configurations, prepares dossiers for the European Council, and coordinates across configurations.

Foreign Affairs Council (FAC)

Council configuration covering the EU external action; topics include CFSP, security and defence, commercial policy, international development, and humanitarian aid.

Economic and Financial Affairs Council (ECOFIN)

Council configuration dealing with economic policy, finance, and related budgetary issues.

Justice and Home Affairs (JHA)

Council configuration covering justice, home affairs, borders, security and related cooperation.

Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs (EPSCO)

Council configuration handling employment, social policy, health and consumer issues.

Competitiveness (COMPET)

Council configuration focusing on policies to boost economic competitiveness.

Transport, Telecommunications and Energy (TTE)

Council configuration covering transport, telecoms and energy policy.

Agriculture and Fisheries (AGFISH)

Council configuration handling agriculture and fisheries policy.

Environment (ENV)

Council configuration dealing with environmental policy.

Education, Youth, Culture and Sport (EYCS)

Council configuration covering education, youth, culture and sport policy.

Ordinary Legislative Procedure (OLP)

Standard EU law making process where the Commission proposes and both Parliament and Council adopt laws (co decisions).

Qualified Majority Voting (QMV)

Default voting method in the Council since Lisbon; requires 55 percent of member states representing at least 65 percent of the population for most decisions.

Double majority

Two conditions for QMV: 55 percent of member states (at least 15 of 27) and 65 percent of the EU population.

Unanimity

All member states must vote in favour; used for CFSP, taxation, treaty amendments, EU expansion, and certain sensitive areas.

Intergovernmentalism

Decision making where member states coordinate and negotiate; national governments drive outcomes, often without binding supranational authority.

Supranationalism

EU level decision making that can bind member states and supersede some national preferences in many policy areas.

Presidency of the Council

Rotating leadership of the Council; presiding ministers from the member state chair the respective configurations every six months.

Rotation of Presidencies

Debate on the pros and cons of rotating presidencies; advantages include visibility and direct interaction, while drawbacks include workload and long gaps between presidencies.