Council of the European Union

The Council of the European Union (Council, sometimes referred to as the Council of Ministers) is the Union's main decision-making institution. It consists of the ministers of the fifteen Member States responsible for the area of activity on the agenda: foreign affairs, agriculture, industry, transport or whatever. Despite the existence of these different configurations depending on the area of activity, the Council is nonetheless a single institution.

Each Member State in turn holds the chair for six months. Decisions are prepared by the Committee of Permanent Representatives of the Member States (Coreper), assisted by working parties of national government officials. The Council is assisted by its General Secretariat. Council decisions under the first pillar are adopted on the basis of Commission proposals.

Following entry into force of the Treaty of Amsterdam in May 1999, the Secretary-General also acts as High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy. He is assisted by a Deputy Secretary-General, appointed by unanimous decision of the Council and responsible for running the Council's General Secretariat.

Given the prospect of enlargement, the Treaty of Nice extended the scope of decisions adopted by qualified majority to other areas and to certain other aspects of policies already subject in part to qualified majority voting, such as the common commercial policy.

See:

•Committees and working parties
•Coreper 
•High Representative for the CFSP (Mr/Ms CFSP)
•Presidency of the Union (rotation of the Presidency)
•Qualified majority 
•Right of initiative 
•Troika 
•Unanimity