50-542: The Helsinki Headline Goal was a military capability target set for 2003 during the December 1999 Helsinki European Council meeting with the aim of developing a future European Rapid Reaction Force . There was much interest in the idea of a single EU military force , and inexact characterisations of the initiative (which was not much more than some headquarters arrangements and a list of theoretically available national forces) led to imprecise journalistic depictions about
100-427: A Permanent Representative via the " Antici Group " in an adjacent room. The group is composed of diplomats and assistants who convey information and requests. Interpreters are also required for meetings as members are permitted to speak in their own languages . As the composition is not precisely defined, some states which have a considerable division of executive power can find it difficult to decide who should attend
150-526: A crisis would last only for the duration of the crisis and it would be up to the member states themselves to decide whether, when and how to contribute troops. The Petersberg tasks , which outline the duties of the ERRF, have been expanded from humanitarian, rescue, and peacekeeping and peacemaking to include 'joint disarmament operation', 'military advice and assistance tasks' and 'post-conflict stabilisation'. It also states that, "all these tasks may contribute to
200-525: A different foreign policy response to the crisis. A similar situation arose in Romania between President Traian Băsescu and Prime Minister Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu in 2007–2008 and again in 2012 with Prime Minister Victor Ponta , who both opposed the president. A number of ad hoc meetings of heads of state or government of the member states of the euro area were held in 2010 and 2011 to discuss
250-733: A possible European Rapid Reaction Force who are potentially able to be deployed for at least a year. Under this plan, the European Union pledged itself during the Helsinki summit to be able to deploy rapidly and then sustain forces capable of the full range of Petersberg tasks (as set out in the Amsterdam Treaty ), including the most demanding, in operations up to corps level (up to 15 brigades or 50,000-60,000 persons) to be capable of intervening in any crisis that could occur in an area where European interests are affected. The aim
300-410: A unified European army . The Headline Goal was built upon an earlier bilateral Franco-British Joint Declaration adopted at St. Malo in December 1998. The St. Malo Declaration said that the European Union ought to have the capability for “autonomous action backed up by credible military forces” as part of a common defence policy. The St. Malo Declaration laid the political foundation between France and
350-558: Is directed by political bodies composed of member states ' representatives, and generally requires unanimous decisions. As of April 2019: EU Security Strategy The European Security Strategy is the document in which the European Union clarifies its security strategy which is aimed at achieving a secure Europe in a better world, identifying the threats facing the Union, defining its strategic objectives and setting out
400-615: The Council of Ministers . In 1987, it was included in the treaties for the first time (the Single European Act ) and had a defined role for the first time in the Maastricht Treaty . At first only a minimum of two meetings per year were required, which resulted in an average of three meetings per year being held for the 1975–1995 period. Since 1996, the number of meetings were required to be minimum four per year. For
450-772: The European Union . The European Council is part of the executive of the European Union (EU), beside the European Commission . It is composed of the heads of state or of government of the EU member states , the President of the European Council , and the President of the European Commission . The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy also takes part in its meetings. Established as an informal summit in 1975,
500-590: The Maastricht Treaty (e.g. Article 109j TEC). In that case, what was politically part of a European Council meeting was legally a meeting of the Council of Ministers . When the European Council, already introduced into the treaties by the Single European Act, became an institution by virtue of the Treaty of Lisbon, this was no longer necessary, and the "Council [of the European Union] meeting in
550-483: The treaty changes ". 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 as for example foreign policy . It also exercises powers of appointment, such as appointment of its own President , the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy , and the President of
SECTION 10
#1732793696884600-506: The Council of the EU, the European Council had previously followed the same Presidency, rotating between each member state. While the Council of the EU retains that system, the European Council established, with no change in powers, a system of appointing an individual (without them being a national leader) for a two-and-a-half-year term—which can be renewed for the same person only once. Following
650-412: The EU's policy agenda and has thus been considered to be the motor of European integration . Beyond the need to provide "impetus", the council has developed further roles: to "settle issues outstanding from discussions at a lower level", to lead in foreign policy — acting externally as a "collective Head of State ", "formal ratification of important documents" and "involvement in the negotiation of
700-626: The European Central Bank . It proposes, to the European Parliament , a candidate for President of the European Commission . Moreover, the European Council influences police and justice planning, the composition of the commission, matters relating to the organisation of the rotating Council presidency, the suspension of membership rights, and changing the voting systems through the Passerelle Clause . Although
750-465: The European Council and the Council of the European Union utilised the Justus Lipsius building as their Brussels venue. In order to make room for additional meeting space a number of renovations were made, including the conversion of an underground carpark into additional press briefing rooms. However, in 2004 leaders decided the logistical problems created by the outdated facilities warranted
800-595: The European Council had already existed before it gained the status as an institution of the European Union with the entering into force of the Treaty of Lisbon, but even after it had been mentioned in the treaties (since the Single European Act) it could only take political decisions, not formal legal acts. However, when necessary, the Heads of State or Government could also meet as the Council of Ministers and take formal decisions in that role. Sometimes, this
850-413: The European Council has no direct legislative power, under the "emergency brake" procedure, a state outvoted in the Council of Ministers may refer contentious legislation to the European Council. However, the state may still be outvoted in the European Council. Hence with powers over the supranational executive of the EU, in addition to its other powers, the European Council has been described by some as
900-489: The European Council was formalised as an institution in 2009 upon the commencement of the Treaty of Lisbon . Its current president is Charles Michel , former Prime Minister of Belgium . While the European Council has no legislative power, it is a strategic (and crisis-solving) body that provides the union with general political directions and priorities, and acts as a collective presidency. The European Commission remains
950-489: The European Parliament also attends to give an opening speech outlining the European Parliament 's position before talks begin. Additionally, the negotiations involve a large number of other people working behind the scenes. Most of those people, however, are not allowed to the conference room, except for two delegates per state to relay messages. At the push of a button members can also call for advice from
1000-521: The European level such as European political parties and political groups of the European Parliament . These alliances frequently hold pre-meetings with their European Council members, prior to their meetings. However, the members of the European Council represent their member states rather than political alliances, and decisions are generally made along national lines, though ideological alignment can colour political agreements and appointments (such as
1050-619: The Helsinki Force Catalogue. A year later, a Capabilities Improvement Conference was held during which further military forces and 5,000 police were added to the catalogue. During the December 2001 Laeken summit, the EU launched the European Capabilities Action Plan (ECAP) to remedy European capability shortfalls. It involved initially some 20 panels composed of military experts from the member states which put forward plans and proposals to fill
SECTION 20
#17327936968841100-640: The Sovereign Debt crisis. It was agreed in October 2011 that they should meet regularly twice a year (with extra meetings if needed). This will normally be at the end of a European Council meeting and according to the same format (chaired by the President of the European Council and including the President of the Commission), but usually restricted to the (currently 20) heads of state or government of
1150-407: The Treaty of Lisbon, this has been discontinued, as the size of the body had become somewhat large following successive accessions of new Member States to the Union. Meetings can also include other invitees, such as the President of the European Central Bank, as required. The Secretary-General of the Council attends, and is responsible for organisational matters, including minutes. The President of
1200-546: The Union's "supreme political authority". The European Council consists of the heads of state or government of the member states, alongside its own President and the Commission President (both non-voting). The meetings used to be regularly attended by the national foreign minister as well, and the Commission President likewise accompanied by another member of the commission. However, since
1250-740: The United Kingdom, which in turn facilitated the launch of the European Security and Defence Policy and the formulation of the Headline Goal. In 2004, a new target was set: the Headline Goal 2010 . To update the initial declaration in December 1999, the formal agreement on the Headline Goal was reached on 22 November 2004 and according to statements made by EU officials the first units will be deployable in 2007. Since 1 January 2007, 60,000 soldiers have been available for
1300-416: The composition of the Heads of State or Government", was replaced in these instances by the European Council now taking formal legally binding decisions in these cases ( Article 15 of the Treaty on European Union ). The Treaty of Lisbon made the European Council a formal institution distinct from the (ordinary) Council of the EU, and created the present longer term and full-time presidency. As an outgrowth of
1350-529: The construction of a new purpose built seat able to cope with the nearly 6,000 meetings, working groups, and summits per year. This resulted in the Europa building , which opened its doors in 2017. 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 the European Council's and Council of the European Union's official logos. The EU command and control (C2) structure
1400-558: The decision by EU leaders to move towards a permanent seat for the European Council. Additionally, some scholars argue that the move, when coupled with the formalisation of the European Council in the Lisbon Treaty , represents an institutionalisation of an ad hoc EU organ that had its origins in Luxembourg compromise , with national leaders reasserting their dominance as the EU's "supreme political authority". Originally, both
1450-663: The domination of supranational institutions (notably the European Commission ) over the integration process, but petered out. The first influential summit held, after the departure of de Gaulle, was the Hague summit of 1969, which reached an agreement on the admittance of the United Kingdom into the Community and initiated foreign policy cooperation (the European Political Cooperation ) taking integration beyond economics. The summits were only formalised in
1500-700: The fight against terrorism, including by supporting third countries in combating terrorism in their territories." From the Petersberg task scenarios envisaged, the EU Military Staff generated the "Helsinki Headline Catalogue" which specifies which capabilities are required in each of 144 capability areas. In November 2000, the European Union held a Capabilities Commitment Conference in Brussels, which elicited commitments for over 100,000 (existing) troops that were declared available for what became known as
1550-707: The high-profile summit as well as the Prime Minister (only two people from each country could attend the meetings). This was despite Stubb being Chair-in-Office of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe at the time which was heavily involved in the crisis. Problems also occurred in Poland where the President of Poland and the Prime Minister of Poland were of different parties and had
Helsinki Headline Goal - Misplaced Pages Continue
1600-543: The identified shortfalls (e.g., by acquiring new equipment or optimising existing capabilities, in particular through cooperation at European level). As the Helsinki Headline Goal became fulfilled, the European Council of June 2004 approved to further develop the EU's military crisis management capability and a new target was set: the "Headline Goal 2010". EU members made the commitment that by
1650-618: The latest 2008–2014 period, this minimum was well exceeded, by an average of seven meetings being held per year. The seat of the Council was formalised in 2002, basing it in Brussels. Three types of European Councils exist: Informal, Scheduled and Extraordinary. While the informal meetings are also scheduled 1½ years in advance, they differ from the scheduled ordinary meetings by not ending with official Council conclusions , as they instead end by more broad political Statements on some cherry-picked policy matters. The extraordinary meetings always end with official Council conclusions but differ from
1700-466: The location. Following the growth of the EU to 25 member states, with the 2004 enlargement , all subsequent official summits of the European Council have been in Brussels, with the exception of punctuated ad hoc meetings, such as the 2017 informal European Council in Malta. The logistical, environmental, financial and security arrangements of hosting large summits are usually cited as the primary factors in
1750-533: The meetings. While an MEP, Alexander Stubb argued that there was no need for the President of Finland to attend Council meetings with or instead of the Prime Minister of Finland (who was head of European foreign policy). In 2008, having become Finnish Foreign Minister , Stubb was forced out of the Finnish delegation to the emergency council meeting on the Georgian crisis because the President wanted to attend
1800-431: The member states of the eurozone. The President of the European Council is elected by its members through a qualified majority vote for a once-renewable term of two and a half years. Article 15 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU) identifies his duties. It is the Heads of State or Government who vote for this office. The President must report to the European Parliament after each European Council meeting. The post
1850-562: The night. Until 2002, the venue for European Council summits was the member state that held the rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union . However, European leaders agreed during ratification of the Nice Treaty to forego this arrangement at such a time as the total membership of the European Union surpassed 18 member states. An advanced implementation of this agreement occurred in 2002, with certain states agreeing to waive their right to host meetings, favouring Brussels as
1900-512: The period between 1974 and 1988. At the December summit in Paris in 1974, following a proposal from then-French president Valéry Giscard d'Estaing , it was agreed that more high-level, political input was needed following the "empty chair crisis" and economic problems. The inaugural European Council , as it became known, was held in Dublin on 10 and 11 March 1975 during Ireland's first Presidency of
1950-643: The political implications for Europe. The European security strategy was drawn up in 2003 under the authority of the EU's High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy , Javier Solana , and adopted by the Brussels European Council of 12 and 13 December 2003. The strategy was replaced in 2016 by the European Union Global Strategy . The Venusberg Group has produced three reports related to
2000-549: The president of the European Council). The charts below outline the number of leaders affiliated to each alliance and their total voting weight. The map indicates the political group of the member representing each individual country. The European Council is required by Article 15.3 TEU to meet at least twice every six months, but convenes more frequently in practice. Despite efforts to contain business, meetings typically last for at least two days, and run long into
2050-424: The ratification of the treaty in December 2009, the European Council elected the then- Prime Minister of Belgium Herman Van Rompuy as its first permanent president; he resigned the prime ministerial position. The European Council is an official institution of the EU, described in the Lisbon Treaty as a body which " shall provide the Union with the necessary impetus for its development ". Essentially it defines
Helsinki Headline Goal - Misplaced Pages Continue
2100-491: The scheduled meetings by not being scheduled more than a year in advance, as for example in 2001 when the European Council gathered to lead the European Union's response to the 11 September attacks . Some meetings of the European Council—and, before the European Council was formalised, meetings of the heads of government—are seen by some as turning points in the history of the European Union . For example: As such,
2150-447: The shortfalls from the previous headline goal (e.g. gaps related to strategic airlift and sealift ) which are still considered to be a limiting factor to the operability of the designated forces, especially in more demanding crisis management operations. European Council The European Council (informally EUCO ) is a collegiate body ( directorial system ) that defines the overall political direction and priorities of
2200-514: The sole initiator of legislation , but the European Council provides a guide to legislative policy. The meetings of the European Council, still commonly referred to as EU summits , are chaired by its president and take place at least twice every six months; usually in the Europa building in Brussels. Decisions of the European Council are taken by consensus, except where the Treaties provide otherwise. The European Council officially gained
2250-560: The status of an EU institution after the Treaty of Lisbon in 2007, distinct from the Council of the European Union (Council of Ministers). Before that, the first summits of EU heads of state or government were held in February and July 1961 (in Paris and Bonn respectively). They were informal summits of the leaders of the European Community , and were started due to then- French President Charles de Gaulle 's resentment at
2300-483: The year 2010, at the latest, they would be capable of responding "with swift and decisive action applying a fully coherent approach" to the whole spectrum of crisis management operations covered by the Treaty of the EU and the 2003 EU Security Strategy (i.e. humanitarian and rescue tasks, disarmament operations, support to third countries in combating terrorism, peacekeeping tasks and tasks of combat forces in crisis management, and peacemaking). The EU also aims to address
2350-562: Was created by the Treaty of Lisbon and was subject to a debate over its exact role. Prior to Lisbon, the Presidency rotated in accordance with the Presidency of the Council of the European Union . The role of that President-in-Office was in no sense (other than protocol) equivalent to an office of a head of state , merely a primus inter pares (first among equals) role among other European heads of government. The President-in-Office
2400-567: Was even compulsory, e.g. Article 214(2) of the Treaty establishing the European Community provided (before it was amended by the Treaty of Lisbon ) that ‘ the Council , meeting in the composition of Heads of State or Government and acting by a qualified majority, shall nominate the person it intends to appoint as President of the Commission ’ (emphasis added); the same rule applied in some monetary policy provisions introduced by
2450-508: Was primarily responsible for preparing and chairing the Council meetings, and had no executive powers other than the task of representing the Union externally. Now the leader of the Council Presidency country can still act as president when the permanent president is absent. Almost all members of the European Council are members of a political party at the national level. Most of them are also members of political alliances at
2500-476: Was to make those forces self-reliant, able to deploy within 60 days and over 4,000 km (2,485 mi), and sustainable in the field for a year. This means the force would actually have to number around 180,000 troops so as to provide rotating replacements for the initial forces. The Petersberg tasks include humanitarian and rescue tasks; peacekeeping tasks; and tasks of combat forces in crisis management, including peacemaking. EU-led forces assembled in response to
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