The European Council was created in 1974 and is now an official institution of the UE since the Lisbon treaty of 2007. Its objectives are to define the political priorities and the main orientations of the European Union. It is composed by the heads of state of the 27 member states, by the president of the Council and by the president of the European Commission. The current president of the Council is Charles Michel.
The European Council meets twice per semester but the president of the EUCO may call an extraordinary meeting, regarding specific situations. This institution always decides by consensus, except when the treaties provide otherwise. In these cases, the members decide by unanimity or by qualified majority. Each member state has one vote, however, the presidents of the European Council and the European Commission may not take part in the voting process.
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. For instance, for the period 2019-2024, four main priorities have been defined: to protect the citizens and freedoms, to build a strong and dynamic economy, to build a climate-neutral green, fair and social Europe and to promote Europe’s interests and values on the world stage. May you use the crucial influence of the EUCO at the Rennes sessions to strengthen European cooperation and help member states find consensus on major global issues.
Countries (27):
- Austria
- Belgium
- Bulgaria
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- Ireland
- Italia
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- Netherlands
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Sweden.
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