The Conseil of the European Union is a meeting which gathers the Ministers for the governments of each Member State of the European Union (EU). Each Member State sends a representative, in bond with the day order of the meeting. It is indicated under the name of Conseil in the Traité establishing the European Community and the Traité on the European Union. It is called often semi-officially the the Council of Ministers , which would become its official name in the event of application of the treated establishing a Constitution for Europe and it to avoid current confusions with the two other Councils to which the denomination is close:
- the European Council which brings together the Heads of state and government of the European Union;
- the the Council of Europe, which implements the European Convention of the human rights. This one does not have strictly anything to see with the European Union, even if the debate on the adhesion of the EU with the CEDH remains open (for the moment, it does not have the legal personality, therefore it cannot ratify treaties). To however note that all the Member States of the EU belong to Convention (it is besides a criterion of adhesion at the EU, since the Human rights should be respected).
It meets most of the time in one of the capitals of the European Union: Brussels, where it has its seat with the Bâtiment Justus Lipsius.
Composition, mission and operation
The Council has a President and a General secretary. The presidency of the Council is held for six months by each Member State, by rotation. The President of the Council is the Foreign Minister of the State currently in charge of this presidency. The general secretary is the executive secretary of the Council, he is chosen by the Member States unanimously. The General secretary is also used of High representative for the foreign Politics and as common safety (PESC). He has under his authority the European Agence of defense, created the July 12th 2004.The Council has the role of coordinating the actions of the European Community and it has a decision-making power (article 202 of treaty EC). It is also qualified for the adoption of directives and regulations. In the budgetary field, it shares its decision-making power with the the European Parliament: it works out the draft budget and definitively adopts it in agreement with him. It also has important capacities in the monetary field, since it is him which fixes the general orientations of the policy of exchange.
The Council is helped by the Comité of the permanent representatives (COREPER), which includes/understands the Ambassadeur S permanent representatives or the assistant permanent representatives of the Member States. COREPER generally prepares the day order of the Council, and negotiates the minor subjects, those without controversy. The civils servant of the Member States negotiate in work groups of the Council, often concluding the agreement from fact which is formalized by COREPER and the Council of Ministers. The Council is supported by European civils servant of career (roughly 3.000 in July 2005).
Since December 2005, the deliberations of the Council proceeding within the framework of the procedure of Codécision meet in public.
Trainings of the Council of the European Union
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general Affairs and foreign relations
- Economic affairs and financial (ECOFIN)
- Justice and interior matters consuming
- Employment, industrial relations policy, health and
- Competitiveness (interior market, industry, research)
- Transport, telecommunications and energy
- Agriculture and fishing
- Environment
- Education, youth and culture.
Presidency
The Présidence of the Council of the European Union is currently assured (second half-year 2007) by the Portugal. Its general secretary is Javier Solana, also High representative for the foreign politics and of common safety (PESC).
External bond
- the official site of the Council of the European Union
- the Council of the European Union European NAvigator
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