The Council of the European Union forms, along with the European Parliament, the legislative arm of the European Union (EU). It contains ministers of the governments of each of the member-states of the EU. The Council of the European Union is sometimes referred to in official European Union documents simply as the Council, and it is often informally referred to as the Council of Ministers.

It is to be distinguished from the Council of Europe, which is a completely separate international organization. It should also be distinguished from the European Council, which is a separate but closely related institution, composed of the heads of state or government of the member states in the European Union, and the President of the European Commission.

The Justus Lipsius building, Council of the European Union office in Brussels

The Council has a President and a Secretary-General. The President of the Council is the Foreign Minister of the state currently holding the Presidency of the Council of the European Union; while the Secretary-General is a civil servant, the head of the Council Secretariat. The Secretary-General also serves as the High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP).

The Council is assisted by COREPER, which consists of representatives of the member-state at the level of diplomats or high-level civil servants. COREPER generally prepares the Council agenda, and negotiates minor and non-controversial matters, leaving controversial issues for discussion by the Council.

Formations of the Council

Legally speaking, the Council is a single entity, but it is in practice divided into several different councils, each dealing with a different functional area. Each council contains a different type of ministers.

There are currently nine formations:

1. General Affairs and External Relations (or GAERC): The most important of the formations, it is composed of Foreign Ministers and meets once a month. Since June 2002 it holds separate meetings on General Affairs and External Relations.
   • The General Affairs Council also coordinates preparation for and follow-up to meetings of the European Council.
   • At its sessions on External Relations, under the context of the Common Foreign and Security Policy, the High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy also takes part.
2. Economic and Financial Affairs (or Ecofin): Composed of Economics and Finance Ministers of the Member States.
3. Agriculture and Fisheries: One of the oldest configuration, it brings together once a month the Ministers for Agriculture and Fisheries and the Commissioners responsible for agriculture, fisheries, food safety, veterinary questions and public health matters.
4. Justice and Home Affairs Council (or JHA): This configuration brings together Justice ministers and Interior Ministers of the Member States.
5. Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council (or EPSCO): Composed of employment, social protection, consumer protection, health and equal opportunities ministers.
6. Competitiveness: Created in June 2002 through the merging of three previous configurations (Internal Market, Industry and Research). Depending on items on the agenda, it is composed of European Affairs Ministers, Industry Ministers, Research Ministers, etc.
7. Transport, Telecommunications and Energy: Again created in June 2002 through the merging of three policies under one configuration, and composition again varying according to the items of the agenda. It meets approximately every two months.
8. Environment: Composed of environment ministers who meet about four times a year.
9. Education, Youth and Culture (or EYC): Composed of education, culture, youth and communication Ministers who meet around three or four times a year.

Voting

The Council votes either by unanimity or by Qualified Majority Voting. The voting system used for a given decision depends on the policy area to which that decision belongs; according to the Treaties, some subjects require unanimity, while others require only a qualified majority.

Even in those areas which require a qualified majority, the Council is required to try to reach a unanimous decision where possible.

Countries of the EU hold different numbers of votes in the Council. The number of votes held by each country is based indirectly on the size of the country's population, but with proportionally heavier weighting towards smaller countries. This concept is aimed at balancing the voice of big countries with the voice of small countries.

On November 1, 2004, modified voting weights from the Treaty of Nice came into effect (this date was revised by the Treaty of Accession 2003 from the original intention of January 1, 2005). This Treaty also provides for qualified majority votes to require a 'double majority' of both population and number of countries.

Further revisions to voting weights are made in the proposed constitutional treaty which was signed in October 29, 2004.

See also

• Institutions of the European Union

External links

• Council of the European Union (http://ue.eu.int) about itself (http://ue.eu.int/cms3_fo/showPage.asp?lang=en&id=242) (includes info on voting weights)
• SCADplus glossary: Council of the European Union (http://europa.eu.int/scadplus/leg/en/cig/g4000c.htm#c33)
• DEsite (http://drcwww.kub.nl/dbi/instructie/eu/en/T1.htm): Information about the Council (http://drcwww.kub.nl/dbi/instructie/eu/en/T14.htm)
• Reports from the UK Committee on European Scrutiny about the Council (http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200102/cmselect/cmeuleg/152-xxxiii/15207.htm#a12) and Openness (http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200102/cmselect/cmeuleg/152-xxxiii/15205.htm)