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79-850: Negotiations for the establishment of the NDICI-GE were concluded in December 2020, and the structure of the instrument was approved by the Council of the European Union . In March 2021, it was endorsed in principle by the European Parliament . The regulation legally authorising the NDICI was approved by the Council and Parliament on 9 June; it came into force on 14 June, but applied retroactively to 1 January 2021. Since its adoption,

158-505: A Committee manages to adopt a joint text, it then has to be approved in a third reading by both the Council and Parliament or the proposal is abandoned. The few other areas that operate the special legislative procedures are justice & home affairs, budget and taxation and certain aspects of other policy areas: such as the fiscal aspects of environmental policy. In these areas, the Council or Parliament decide law alone. The procedure used also depends upon which type of institutional act

237-545: A new voting system based on the Nice system entered into force. The voting weights of the member states according to that voting system are shown in the table on the right. The voting system was replaced by the Treaty of Lisbon, effective 1 November 2014. The following conditions applied to taking decisions: The last condition was only checked upon request by a member state. In the absence of consensus, qualified majority voting

316-469: A qualifying majority of 258 votes (74.78%) after enlargement to 27 countries. However, the treaties of accession following the Treaty of Nice clarified the required majority. After the accession of Croatia, on 1 July 2013, at least 260 votes out of a total of 352 by at least 15 member states were required for legislation to be adopted by qualified majority. Croatia had 7 votes (the same as Denmark, Ireland, Lithuania, Slovakia and Finland). From 1 July 2013,

395-499: A trio of states alongside Germany and Slovenia with whom Portugal had been co-operating. The Council meets in various configurations (as outlined below) so its membership changes depending upon the issue. The person chairing the Council will always be the member from the state holding the Presidency. A delegate from the following Presidency also assists the presiding member and may take over work if requested. The exception however

474-624: Is being used. The strongest act is a regulation , an act or law which is directly applicable in its entirety. Then there are directives which bind members to certain goals which they must achieve, but they do this through their own laws and hence have room to manoeuvre in deciding upon them. A decision is an instrument which is focused at a particular person or group and is directly applicable. Institutions may also issue recommendations and opinions which are merely non-binding declarations. The Council votes in one of three ways; unanimity , simple majority , or qualified majority . In most cases,

553-528: Is divided between the Council, the Parliament and the Commission. As the relationships and powers of these institutions have developed, various legislative procedures have been created for adopting laws. In early times, the avis facultatif maxim was: "The Commission proposes, and the Council disposes"; but now the vast majority of laws are subject to the ordinary legislative procedure , which works on

632-438: Is for legislative proposals. But if the joint conciliation text is not approved, the Parliament may adopt the budget definitively. In addition to the budget, the Council coordinates the economic policy of members. The Council's rules of procedure contain the provisions necessary for its organisation and functioning. The Presidency of the Council is not a single post, but is held by a member state's government. Every six months

711-802: Is one of two legislative bodies and together with the European Parliament serves to amend and approve, or veto, the proposals of the European Commission , which holds the right of initiative . The Council of the European Union and the European Council are the only EU institutions that are explicitly intergovernmental , that is, forums whose attendees express and represent the position of their Member State's executive , be they ambassadors, ministers or heads of state/government. The Council meets in 10 different configurations of 27 national ministers (one per state ). The precise membership of these configurations varies according to

790-421: Is permissible for the Council in discussing Common Foreign and Security Policy. Article 31 lays out provisions regarding a passerelle clause as well as the possibilities for Member State abstentions. Additionally, Article 31 stipulates derogation for "a decision defining a Union action or position". In late 2023 and early 2024, unanimity voting on foreign affairs issues by the Council made headlines due to

869-603: Is the foreign affairs council, which has been chaired by the High Representative since the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty . The role of the Presidency is administrative and political. On the administrative side it is responsible for procedures and organising the work of the Council during its term. This includes summoning the Council for meetings along with directing the work of COREPER and other committees and working parties . The political element

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948-526: Is the role of successfully dealing with issues and mediating in the Council. In particular this includes setting the agenda of the council, hence giving the Presidency substantial influence in the work of the Council during its term. The Presidency also plays a major role in representing the Council within the EU and representing the EU internationally, for example at the United Nations. Legally speaking,

1027-688: Is to define the general "impetus" of the Union. The European Council deals with the major issues such as the appointment of the President of the European Commission who takes part in the body's meetings. Ecofin 's Eurozone component, the Euro group , is also a formal group with its own President. Its European Council counterpart is the Euro summit formalized in 2011 and the TSCG . Following

1106-488: Is to set out future work foreseen in a specific policy area or to invite action by the Commission. If a resolution covers a policy area which is not entirely within an area of EU competency, the resolution will be issued as a "resolution of the Council and the representatives of the governments of the member states". Examples are the Council Resolution of 26 September 1989 on the development of subcontracting in

1185-762: The EU's member states and is based in the Europa building in Brussels. The Council also has an important role in the formation of the European Commission. The Council sitting in the General Affairs Council configuration, in agreement with the President-elect of the Commissission, adopts a list of candidates for the Commission proposed by the member states. The EU's legislative authority

1264-814: The Kirchberg Conference Centre , and its offices are based at the European Centre on the plateau du Kirchberg. The Council has also met occasionally in Strasbourg , in various other cities, and also outside the Union: for example in 1974 when it met in Tokyo and Washington, D. C. while trade and energy talks were taking place. Under the Council's present rules of procedures the Council can, in extraordinary circumstances, hold one of its meetings outside Brussels and Luxembourg. From 2017, both

1343-682: The Treaties of Rome established two new communities, and with them two new Councils: the Council of the European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC) and the Council of the European Economic Community (EEC). However, due to objections over the supranational power of the Authority, their Councils had more powers; the new executive bodies were known as "Commissions". In 1965, the Council was hit by

1422-543: The Treaty on European Union , as amended by the Treaty of Lisbon , stipulates that the Council voting arrangements of the Nice Treaty applied until 31 October 2014. Article 16 also states the conditions for a qualified majority , effective since 1 November 2014: A blocking minority requires—in addition to not meeting one of the two conditions above—that at least 4 countries (or, if not all countries participate in

1501-597: The "Special Council of Ministers", set up to counterbalance the High Authority (the supranational executive, now the Commission). The original Council had limited powers: issues relating only to coal and steel were in the Authority's domain, and the Council's consent was only required on decisions outside coal and steel. As a whole, the Council only scrutinised the High Authority (the executive). In 1957,

1580-536: The "empty chair crisis". Due to disagreements between French President Charles de Gaulle and the Commission's agriculture proposals, among other things, France boycotted all meetings of the Council. This halted the Council's work until the impasse was resolved the following year by the Luxembourg compromise . Although initiated by a gamble of the President of the Commission, Walter Hallstein , who later on lost

1659-500: The 21 other members. Note that the Commission could make a proposal in a way that removed the requirement for a qualified majority. For example, the Anti-Dumping Advisory Committee (ADAC) could approve a proposal to impose tariffs based on a simple, unweighted majority, but overturning it would have required a qualified majority because this meant voting against a Commission proposal. This greatly increased

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1738-582: The Commission nor the High Representative , effective since 1 November 2014: In practice, the Council targeted unanimous decisions, and qualified majority voting was often simply used as a means to pressure compromises for consensus. For example, in 2008, 128 out of 147 Council decisions were unanimous. Within the remaining decisions, there was a total of 32 abstentions and 8 votes against the respective decision. These opposing votes were cast twice by Luxembourg and once by each of Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Spain, Netherlands, and Portugal. The Council, jointly with

1817-600: The Community and the Council Resolution of 26 November 2001 on consumer credit and indebtedness. The legal instruments used by the Council for the Common Foreign and Security Policy are different from the legislative acts. Under the CFSP they consist of "common positions", "joint actions", and "common strategies". Common positions relate to defining a European foreign policy towards a particular third-country such as

1896-402: The Council as defined in the Treaty of Nice was supposed to enter into force on 1 January 2005. However, the voting system was changed before that date by the Treaty of Accession 2003 , which entered into force on 1 May 2004. During a temporary period that extended to 1 November 2004, the old pre-Nice voting system was kept, but adapted to the new number of member states. From 1 November 2004,

1975-450: The Council is a single entity (this means that technically any Council configuration can adopt decisions that fall within the remit of any other Council configuration) but it is in practice divided into several different council configurations (or '(con)formations'). Article 16(6) of the Treaty on European Union provides: The Council shall meet in different configurations, the list of which shall be adopted in accordance with Article 236 of

2054-432: The Council is to act as one of two vetoing bodies of the EU's legislative branch , the other being the European Parliament . Together they serve to amend, approve or disapprove the proposals of the European Commission , which has the sole power to propose laws. Jointly with the Parliament, the Council holds the budgetary power of the Union and has greater control than the Parliament over the more intergovernmental areas of

2133-616: The Council now required for their adoption: The votes allocated previously to the EU-9 did not change. Greece was allocated 5 votes. Article 148 of the EEC Treaty, specifying the qualified majority voting system of the Council, was amended by Article 14 of the Accession Treaty regulating the enlargement of the community by Portugal and Spain. Acts of the Council now required for their adoption: The votes allocated previously to

2212-416: The Council of the European Union are described in the treaties of the European Union . The Council of the European Union (or simply "Council" or "Council of Ministers") has had its voting procedure amended by subsequent treaties and currently operates on the system set forth in the Treaty of Lisbon . The system is known as qualified majority voting is a type of consociational democracy . Article 16 of

2291-622: The Council of the European Union and the European Council adopted the purpose-built Europa building as their official headquarters, although they continue to utilise the facilities afforded by the adjacent Justus Lipsius building . The focal point of the new building, the distinctive multi-storey "lantern" shaped structure in which the main meeting room is located, is utilised in both EU institutions' new official logos. 50°50′34″N 4°22′51″E  /  50.84278°N 4.38083°E  / 50.84278; 4.38083 Qualified majority voting The procedures for voting in

2370-693: The Council of the European Union, the Presidency of the Council of the European Union , the European Council and the President of the European Council . The Secretariat is headed by the Secretary-General of the Council of the European Union . The Secretariat is divided into eleven directorates-general , each administered by a director-general . The Council first appeared in the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) as

2449-591: The Council rapidly ran out of space and administrative branch of the Secretariat moved to a building at 76 Rue Joseph II/Jozef II-straat and during the 1980s the language divisions moved out into the Nerviens, Frère Orban, and Guimard buildings. In 1995, the Council moved into the Justus Lipsius building , across the road from Charlemagne. However, its staff was still increasing, so it continued to rent

Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument - Misplaced Pages Continue

2528-452: The Council required for their adoption: The values above are related to the EU-6, the founding member states. The treaty allocated the votes as follows: Under this system, Luxembourg had no voting power for acts proposed by the Commission. Article 148 of the EEC Treaty, specifying the qualified majority voting system of the Council, was amended by Article 8 of the Accession Treaty regulating

2607-422: The Council votes on issues by qualified majority voting , meaning that there must be a minimum of 55% of member states agreeing (at least 15) who together represent at least 65% of the EU population. A 'blocking minority' can only be formed by at least 4 member states, even if the objecting states constitute more than 35% of the population. Council resolutions have no legal effect. Usually the Council's intention

2686-508: The EC Treaty, specifying the qualified majority voting system of the Council, was amended by Article 8 of the Accession Treaty regulating the enlargement of the community by Austria, Finland, and Sweden. Acts of the Council now required for their adoption: The votes allocated previously to the EU-12 did not change. To the new members, the following votes were allocated: The voting system of

2765-421: The EU, such as foreign policy and macroeconomic co-ordination. Finally, before the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon, it formally held the executive power of the EU which it conferred upon the European Commission . It is considered by some to be equivalent to an upper house of the EU legislature, although it is not described as such in the treaties. The Council represents the executive governments of

2844-591: The EU-10 did not change. To the new members, the following votes were allocated: The Treaty of Maastricht established the European Community Treaty (EC Treaty) where the qualified majority voting system was detailed in Article 148. While this treaty transferred some policy areas subject to unanimity to qualified majority, it neither changed the voting weights nor the thresholds. Article 148 of

2923-543: The EU’s domestic migration concerns over development objectives". Council of the European Union The Council of the European Union , often referred to in the treaties and other official documents simply as the Council , and informally known as the Council of Ministers , is the third of the seven Institutions of the European Union (EU) as listed in the Treaty on European Union . It

3002-409: The European Council and ensure that the Union's action is consistent. Each council configuration deals with a different functional area, for example agriculture and fisheries. In this formation, the council is composed of ministers from each state government who are responsible for this area: the agriculture and fisheries ministers. The chair of this council is held by the member from the state holding

3081-641: The European Parliament, has policy-making, legislative and budgetary functions. The Council is composed of the ministers of member states responsible for a specific area of policy. The ministers or their representative will commit the government of the member state in questions of policy and cast the member state vote. The Lisbon Treaty specifies in Article 16 that the Council shall act by a qualified majority voting (QMV) in areas of competence with certain exceptions. Qualified majority voting now extends to policy areas that required unanimity according to

3160-548: The European Union', following the establishment of the European Union by the Maastricht Treaty . That treaty strengthened the Council, with the addition of more intergovernmental elements in the three pillars system. However, at the same time the Parliament and Commission had been strengthened inside the Community pillar , curtailing the ability of the Council to act independently. The Treaty of Lisbon abolished

3239-713: The Frère Orban building to house the Finnish and Swedish language divisions. Staff continued to increase and the Council rented, in addition to owning Justus Lipsius, the Kortenberg, Froissart, Espace Rolin, and Woluwe Heights buildings. Since acquiring the Lex building in 2008, the three aforementioned buildings are no longer in use by the Council services. When the Council is meeting in Luxembourg City, it meets in

Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument - Misplaced Pages Continue

3318-414: The NDICI-GE is the EU's main financial instrument for development and foreign aid. Previously, EU external spending on development was channelled through multiple separate financial instruments. The European Commission conducted a mid-term evaluation of the NDICI-GE in 2024. It concluded that the instrument had proven "fit for purpose", but noted that, despite improvements over previous funding mechanisms it

3397-454: The Nice Treaty. The new areas of QMV are: This section presents the former qualified majority voting systems employed in the Council of the European Union , and its predecessor institutions. While some policy areas require unanimity among Council members, for selected policy areas qualified majority voting has existed right from the start. All major treaties have shifted some policy areas from unanimity to qualified majority voting. Whenever

3476-540: The Parliament on co-decision legislation. It is divided into two groups of the representatives (Coreper II) and their deputies (Coreper I). Agriculture is dealt with separately by the Special Committee on Agriculture (SCA). The numerous working parties submit their reports to the Council through Coreper or SCA. The Treaty of Lisbon mandated a change in voting system from 1 November 2014 for most cases to double majority Qualified Majority Voting , replacing

3555-444: The Parliament. At its second reading, if the Parliament approves the text or does not act, the text is adopted, otherwise the Parliament may propose further amendments to the Council's proposal. It may be rejected out right by an absolute majority of MEPs. If the Council still does not approve the Parliament's position, then the text is taken to a " Conciliation Committee " composed of the Council members plus an equal number of MEPs. If

3634-399: The Parliament. However, in most areas the ordinary legislative procedure applies meaning both Council and Parliament share legislative and budgetary powers equally, meaning both have to agree for a proposal to pass. In a few limited areas the Council may initiate new EU law itself. The General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union , also known as Council Secretariat , assists

3713-527: The Political and Security Committee (PSC) brings together ambassadors to monitor international situations and define policies within the CSDP, particularly in crises. The European Council is similar to a configuration of the Council and operates in a similar way, but is composed of the national leaders ( heads of government or state ) and has its own President, since 2019, Charles Michel . The body's purpose

3792-600: The Presidency at any given time ensuring the smooth running of the meetings and setting the daily agenda. The continuity between presidencies is provided by an arrangement under which three successive presidencies, known as Presidency trios , share common political programmes. The Foreign Affairs Council (national foreign ministers) is however chaired by the Union's High Representative . Its decisions are made by qualified majority voting in most areas, unanimity in others, or just simple majority for procedural issues. Usually where it operates unanimously, it only needs to consult

3871-637: The Presidency, the crisis exposed flaws in the Council's workings. Under the Merger Treaty of 1967, the ECSC's Special Council of Ministers and the Council of the EAEC (together with their other independent institutions) were merged into the Council of the European Communities , which would act as a single Council for all three institutions. In 1993, the Council adopted the name 'Council of

3950-498: The Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. The General Affairs Council shall ensure consistency in the work of the different Council configurations. It shall prepare and ensure the follow-up to meetings of the European Council, in liaison with the President of the European Council and the Commission. The Foreign Affairs Council shall elaborate the Union's external action on the basis of strategic guidelines laid down by

4029-401: The Union's budgetary authority. The EU's budget (which is around 155 billion euro ) is subject to a form of the ordinary legislative procedure with a single reading giving Parliament power over the entire budget (prior to 2009, its influence was limited to certain areas) on an equal footing with the Council. If there is a disagreement between them, it is taken to a conciliation committee as it

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4108-472: The community was enlarged, voting weights for new members were defined and thresholds re-adjusted by accession treaties. After its inception in 1958, the most notable changes to the voting system occurred: All systems prescribed higher thresholds for passing acts that were not proposed by the Commission . Member states have to cast their votes en bloc (i.e., a member state may not split its votes). Hence,

4187-494: The enlargement of the community by Denmark, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. Acts of the Council now required for their adoption: These values were now related to the EU-9. The treaty allocated the votes as follows: Article 148 of the EEC Treaty, specifying the qualified majority voting system of the Council, was amended by Article 14 of the Accession Treaty regulating the enlargement of the community by Greece. Acts of

4266-657: The entry into force of a framework agreement between the EU and ESA there is a Space Council configuration—a joint and concomitant meeting of the EU Council and of the ESA Council at ministerial level dealing with the implementation of the ESP adopted by both organisations. The General Secretariat of the Council provides the continuous infrastructure of the Council, carrying out preparation for meetings, draft reports, translation, records, documents, agendas and assisting

4345-452: The initial budget if they are able to demonstrate progress in cooperating with the EU to reduce irregular migration into Europe. As of 2024, more than 80% of the unallocated "cushion" had been spent, with much of it going to Ukraine following its invasion by Russia in 2022 . The NDICI-GE has been criticised by civil society groups for the "lack of transparency" in how its funds are allocated. Oxfam has alleged that it "prioritise[s]

4424-642: The issue, the German government agreed to include it for discussion at the June council. The given percentage is the game theoretical optimal threshold, and is known as the " Jagiellonian Compromise ". The Penrose method voting weights allocated to the states are shown in the adjacent table. According to the proposal, the requirement for an act to pass in the Council was: Certain policy fields remain subject to unanimity in whole or in part, such as: Article 311 shall be repealed. A new Article 311a shall be inserted, with

4503-683: The members in the European Parliament to vote a certain way. By a decision of the European Council at Edinburgh in December 1992, the Council has its seat in Brussels but in April, June, and October, it holds its meetings in Luxembourg City . Between 1952 and 1967, the ECSC Council held its Luxembourg City meetings in the Cercle Municipal on Place d'Armes . Its secretariat moved on numerous occasions but between 1955 and 1967 it

4582-399: The nature of coalition governments in a number of states means that party breakdown at different configuration of the Council vary depending on which domestic party was assigned the portfolio. However, the broad ideological alignment of the government in each state does influence the nature of the law the Council produces and the extent to which the link between domestic parties puts pressure on

4661-648: The number of votes rather describes the weight of a member's single vote. The analysis of the distribution of voting power under different voting rules in the EU Council often requires the use of complex computational methods that go beyond a mere calculation of vote share, such as the Shapley-Shubik index or the Banzhaf measure . According to Article 148 of the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community (EEC Treaty), acts of

4740-476: The pass condition translated into: Poland proposed the Penrose method (also known as the "square root method"), which would narrow the weighting of votes between the largest and smallest countries in terms of population. The Czech Republic supported this method to some extent, but has warned it would not back a Polish veto on this matter. All the other states remained opposed. After previously refusing to discuss

4819-422: The pillar system and gave further powers to Parliament. It also merged the Council's High Representative with the Commission's foreign policy head , with this new figure chairing the foreign affairs Council rather than the rotating presidency. The European Council was declared a separate institution from the Council, also chaired by a permanent president, and the different Council configurations were mentioned in

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4898-417: The power of small member states in such circumstances. The declarations of the conference that adopted the Treaty of Nice contained contradictory statements concerning qualified majority voting after the enlargement of the European Union to 25 and 27 members: one declaration specified that the qualifying majority of votes would increase to a maximum of 73.4%, contradicting another declaration which specified

4977-491: The presidency (see section above). Similarly, the Economic and Financial Affairs Council is composed of national finance ministers, and they are still one per state and the chair is held by the member coming from the presiding country. The Councils meet irregularly throughout the year except for the three major configurations (top three below) which meet once a month. As of 2020 , there are ten formations: Complementing these,

5056-403: The presidency rotates among the states, in an order predefined by the Council's members, allowing each state to preside over the body. From 2007, every three member states co-operate for their combined eighteen months on a common agenda, although only one formally holds the presidency for the normal six-month period. For example, the President for the second half of 2007, Portugal, was the second in

5135-447: The presidency. The Secretary General of the Council is head of the Secretariat. The Secretariat is divided into eleven directorates-general, each administered by a director-general. The Committee of Permanent Representatives (COREPER) is a body composed of representatives from the states (ambassadors, civil servants etc.) who meet each week to prepare the work and tasks of the Council. It monitors and co-ordinates work and deals with

5214-421: The principle that consent from both the Council and Parliament are required before a law may be adopted. Under this procedure, the Commission presents a proposal to Parliament and the Council. Following its first reading the Parliament may propose amendments. If the Council accepts these amendments then the legislation is approved. If it does not then it adopts a "common position" and submits that new version to

5293-481: The promotion of human rights and democracy in Myanmar , a region such as the stabilisation efforts in the African Great Lakes , or a certain issue such as support for the International Criminal Court . A common position, once agreed, is binding on all EU states who must follow and defend the policy, which is regularly revised. A joint action refers to a co-ordinated action of the states to deploy resources to achieve an objective, for example for mine clearing or to combat

5372-434: The resistance of Viktor Orbán , Prime Minister of Hungary , to passing European Union aid to Ukraine. In this recent example, the Council came to a unified conclusion after discussions with the Hungarian leader; previously at the end of 2023, Orbán had left the room during the Council vote on Ukraine-EU accession talks, this ensuring that the Council passed that issue without veto. The legislative branch officially holds

5451-445: The spread of small arms . Common strategies defined an objective and commits the EUs resources to that task for four years. The Council must practice unanimity when voting on foreign affairs issues because Common Foreign and Security Policy is a "sensitive" issue (according to EUR-Lex ). An exception to this rule exists via Article 31 of the Treaty on European Union , which stipulates circumstances in which qualified majority voting

5530-411: The topic under consideration; for example, when discussing agricultural policy the Council is formed by the 27 national ministers whose portfolio includes this policy area (with the related European Commissioners contributing but not voting). The Presidency of the Council rotates every six months among the governments of EU member states, with the relevant ministers of the respective country holding

5609-477: The treaties for the first time. The development of the Council has been characterised by the rise in power of the Parliament, with which the Council has had to share its legislative powers. The Parliament has often provided opposition to the Council's wishes. This has in some cases led to clashes between both bodies with the Council's system of intergovernmentalism contradicting the developing parliamentary system and supranational principles. The primary purpose of

5688-531: The treaties) on the location of the newly merged institutions, the Council was to be in Brussels but would meet in Luxembourg City during April, June, and October. The ECSC secretariat moved from Luxembourg City to the merged body Council secretariat in the Ravenstein building of Brussels. In 1971 the Council and its secretariat moved into the Charlemagne building , next to the Commission's Berlaymont , but

5767-470: The use of "artificial" voting weights. This move, first proposed in the Constitution , is based on the size of populations and, at the same time, acknowledges the smaller member states' fears of being overruled by the larger countries. Article 238 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union states the conditions for a reinforced qualified majority , when acting on a proposal from neither

5846-402: The vote, the minimum number of countries representing more than 35% of the population of the participating countries, plus one country) vote against the proposal. Thus, there may be cases where an act is passed, even though the population condition is not met. This precludes scenarios where 3 populous countries could block a decision favored by the other 24 countries. The Lisbon rules eradicated

5925-466: The voting weights system. Decisions made by the council have to be taken by 55% of member states representing at least 65% of the EU's population. Almost all members of the Council are members of a political party at national level, and most of these are members of a European-level political party . However the Council is composed to represent the Member States rather than political parties and

6004-612: The wording of Article 299(2), first subparagraph, and Article 299(3) to (6); the text shall be amended as follows: [...] (e) the following new paragraph shall be added at the end of the Article: "6. The European Council may, on the initiative of the Member State concerned, adopt a decision amending the status, with regard to the Union, of a Danish, French or Netherlands country or territory referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2. The European Council shall act unanimously after consulting

6083-584: Was housed in the Verlorenkost district of the city. In 1957, with the creation of two new Communities with their own Councils, discretion on location was given to the current Presidency. In practice this was to be in the Château of Val-Duchesse until the autumn of 1958, at which point it moved to 2 Rue Ravensteinstraat in Brussels. The 1965 agreement (finalised by the Edinburgh agreement and annexed to

6162-418: Was still insufficiently flexible to respond to unexpected global events. The Instrument has a total budget of €79.46 billion. At its establishment, it was broken down into four pillars: 10% of the total budget is "dedicated particularly to actions supporting management and governance of migration and forced displacement". States in receipt of funding can unlock additional funds above those allocated to them in

6241-521: Was the Council's key way of decision-making. In terms of the statistics before Croatia became a member of the EU (1 July 2013), the pass condition translated into: The last requirement was almost always already implied by the condition on the number of voting weights. The rare exceptions to this could occur in certain cases when a proposal was backed by exactly three of the six most populous member states but not including Germany, that is, three of France, UK, Italy, Spain and Poland, and by all or nearly all of

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