History of the Council of the European Union and of the European Council : from their foundation to the present day.
Date: 2025-06-29
Institutions: General Secretariat of the Council
Subjects: Council of the European Union, EU institution, EU policy, European Council, European integration, historical account, history of Europe, modern history

History of the  
Council of the European Union 
and of the European Council
⸺
From their foundation  
to the present day

Edition noticE

This publication has been produced by the General Secretariat of the Council of the 

European Union and is intended for information purposes only. Neither the European 

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History of the Council of the European Union  
and of the European Council 
⸺

from the ir fou n dat io n  to  t h e  p r es en t  d ay

‘[E]very country should emerge victorious 
from negotiations. […] As President of the 
European Council I will listen carefully 
to everyone and I will make sure that 
our deliberations turn into results for 
everyone. There has been much debate 
about the profile of the future president, 
but only one profile is possible and it 
is one of dialogue, unity and action.’

Acceptance speech by Herman Van Rompuy following his appointment as 
the first full-time President of the European Council, 19 November 2009

←The EU is awarded the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize 
for having ‘contributed for over six decades to the 
advancement of peace and reconciliation, democracy 
and human rights in Europe’, Oslo, Norway (10 December 
2012). From left to right, the presidents of the European 
Council, Commission and Parliament, Herman Van 
Rompuy, José Manuel Barroso and Martin Schulz, 
accepting the award on behalf of all EU citizens.

Contents

01.   Introduction 

02.   Two councils 

03.   The Council of the European Union 

04.   The European Council 

05.   Annex 

06.   Endnotes 

 ⸺ 6

 ⸺ 8

 ⸺ 12

 ⸺ 46

 ⸺ 90

 ⸺ 126

01. 

 Introduction

 ⸺ 6

The beginnings of the European Union date back to the 

1950s, when six countries devastated by the Second 

World War committed themselves to working together 

to prevent further conflicts and build their joint future 

in a new era of ever closer cooperation in Europe.

At the core of the EU are its 27 Member States and 

their citizens. Their ministers and heads of state or 

government meet in two councils, both of which are 

central to the functioning of the EU: the Council of 

the European Union and the European Council.

This publication traces the origins and history of the 

two councils, from the beginnings in the 1950s in Paris, 
through the Lisbon Treaty (2009) and the United Kingdom’s 

departure from the EU (2020), to the present day.

It looks at events from a legal and a political 

perspective and is intented for anyone interested 

in the history of European integration.

 ⸺ 7

02. 

Two councils

Similar names but different roles

 ⸺ 8

The Council of the European Union (‘the Council’, 
sometimes also referred to as the Council of Ministers) 
and the European Council are key players in the 
EU’s decision-making process, together with the 

European Parliament and the European Commission. 

Politically and administratively, the two councils 

work closely together. However, each has its own 

distinct role in the EU’s institutional architecture.

 ⸺ 9

The Council of the European Union is 

the institution where ministers from the 

EU countries’ governments work together. 

That’s why it is often informally referred to 

as the ‘Council of Ministers’. The Council’s 

main task is law-making. In most cases it 

does this together with the Parliament.

The European Council is the institution 

where the EU countries’ heads of state or 

government meet to set the EU’s general 

political direction and priorities. It does 

not negotiate or adopt EU legislation. 

Meetings of the European Council are usually 

referred to as ‘European summits’.

The European Council and the 

Council of the European Union 

are not to be confused with the 
Council of Europe. The Council 
of Europe is not part of the EU 

set-up. It is an international 

organisation with 46 Member 
States that is based in Strasbourg 

and promotes human rights, 

democracy and the rule of law.

↓ The Europa building, located in the ‘European 
quarter’ of Brussels, Belgium, is home to 
the Council and the European Council.

 ⸺ 10

European  
Council

Council of the  
European Union 

Sets the EU’s general political 

direction and priorities

r ol e

Negotiates and adopts EU legislation

Heads of state or government of 

each EU country, together with the 

presidents of the European Council 

and the European Commission

Ministers or state secretaries of 

m e mbers

the EU countries’ governments, 

grouped by policy area

A president elected by the 

European Council for a term of 

2.5 years, renewable once

Who 
ch airs

The presidency of the Council is 

assigned to a different Member 

State every 6 months

Meets at least four times a 

year, usually in March, June, 

me et in gs

Meets 70-80 times a year

October and December

Eager to learn more about how the European Council and the Council of the 
European Union work? Read more in our publication The European Council 
and the Council of the European Union – The house of the Member States.

 ⸺ 11

03. 

The Council of the 
European Union

A key law-making body

 ⸺ 12

In this section:

Brief history of the Council

1952 The Special Council of Ministers 

of the European Coal and Steel Community

1958 Two new councils for the  

European Economic Community and the  

European Atomic Energy Community

1965 A time of political upheaval

1967 A single Council for the  

European Communities

1993 The Council of the European Union

2009 Lisbon Treaty: simplified voting system, 

presidency trios and the Eurogroup

2020 A new digital reality

Laying the groundwork for Council meetings

 → Coreper – Member States' permanent 

representatives to the EU

 → Specialised working  

parties and committees

 → The General Secretariat

 ⸺ 14

⸺ 16

⸺ 22

 ⸺ 26

⸺ 30

 ⸺ 32

⸺ 34

 ⸺ 38

 ⸺ 39

⸺ 40

 ⸺ 42

 ⸺ 42

 ⸺ 13

 
 
 
 
 
1952
Paris Treaty

1958
Rome Treaties

1965
‘Empty chair’ crisis

1966
Luxembourg compromise

1967

Merger Treaty

1993

2009

2020

Maastricht Treaty

Lisbon Treaty

A new digital reality

Introduction

The Council of the European Union (‘the 

Council’) is the EU institution where 

ministers from each of the EU Member States 

meet. The Council negotiates and adopts 

EU legislation and coordinates policies. While 

decision-making processes are sometimes 

complex in a union of 27 Member States, 

they have become evermore transparent.

Brief history of the Council

1952: the Paris Treaty establishes a 

Special Council of Ministers for the 

European Coal and Steel Community.

1958: the Rome Treaties establish the Council 

of the European Economic Community and 

the Council of the European Atomic Energy 

Community. Now three councils are in place.

 ⸺ 14

1952

Paris Treaty

1958

Rome Treaties

1965

1966

‘Empty chair’ crisis

Luxembourg compromise

1967
Merger Treaty

1993
Maastricht Treaty

2009
Lisbon Treaty

2020
A new digital reality

↓ German Chancellor and Foreign Minister Konrad Adenauer (centre) and 
other ministers at the Hôtel de Ville in Luxembourg to attend the inaugural 
meeting of the Special Council of Ministers on 8 September 1952.

1967: the Merger Treaty merges 

the three councils into one.

1993: with the Maastricht Treaty 

establishing the European Union, the 

Council is given its current name, the 

Council of the European Union.

 ⸺ 15

The council of The european union1952
Paris Treaty

1958
Rome Treaties

1965
‘Empty chair’ crisis

1966
Luxembourg compromise

1967

Merger Treaty

1993

2009

2020

Maastricht Treaty

Lisbon Treaty

A new digital reality

Origins and development

1952 ⸺ The Special Council of Ministers 
of the European Coal and Steel Community

In 1951, the foreign ministers of Belgium, 

Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg and 

the Netherlands met in Paris and signed the 

Treaty establishing the European Coal and 

Steel Community (ECSC). The ECSC Treaty or 

Paris Treaty established four institutions:

 → a High Authority

 → an Assembly

 → a Court

 → a Special Council of Ministers.

6

countries

of the national governments. It also had to 

approve important decisions of the High 

The Special Council of Ministers – the 

Authority.

forerunner of today’s Council – consisted of 

representatives of the six national governments. 

The High Authority – the forerunner 

Its role was to harmonise the activities of the 

of today’s European Commission – 

High Authority and the general economic policy 

supervised the market and monitored 

compliance with competition rules.

The Assembly – the forerunner of the 

European Parliament – consisted of 

representatives of the national parliaments 

and had supervisory power.

The Court – the forerunner of the 

Court of Justice of the European Union 
– ensured that the treaty was interpreted 

and implemented correctly.

The Paris Treaty created a common 
market for coal and steel. This eased 

tensions between neighbouring 

European countries after the Second 

World War. The treaty entered into 

force in 1952 and expired in 2002. 

It was the first founding treaty 

of the European Community.

 ⸺ 16

1952

Paris Treaty

1958

Rome Treaties

1965

1966

‘Empty chair’ crisis

Luxembourg compromise

1967
Merger Treaty

1993
Maastricht Treaty

2009
Lisbon Treaty

2020
A new digital reality

↑ Signing of the Paris Treaty on 18 April 1951. From left to right: Paul van 
Zeeland, Joseph Bech, Joseph Meurice, Carlo Sforza, Robert Schuman, 
Konrad Adenauer, Dirk Stikker and Johannes van den Brink.

first meeting of the council 

A significant milestone was reached on  

When they sat at the table, Adenauer 

8 September 1952, when the Special Council of 

and the other ministers had two 

Ministers met for the first time in Luxembourg.

seemingly contradictory roles:

Germany was the first country to hold 

the presidency of the Council. German 

 → on the one hand, to protect their 

own national interests; and

Chancellor and Minister for Foreign 

 → on the other, to pool national 

Affairs Konrad Adenauer chaired this first 

meeting. Every 3 months, another of the 

six founding countries would take over 

the presidency, in alphabetical order. 

resources to benefit the newly 

founded Community as a whole.

 ⸺ 17

The council of The european union1952
Paris Treaty

1958
Rome Treaties

1965
‘Empty chair’ crisis

1966
Luxembourg compromise

1967

Merger Treaty

1993

2009

2020

Maastricht Treaty

Lisbon Treaty

A new digital reality

At its inaugural meeting, the Council adopted its 

The Council also discussed the newly 

rules of procedure and established a secretariat. 

established Community’s future relations 

Christian Calmes, a diplomat from Luxembourg, 

with non-member countries, in particular 

was appointed secretary-general. The ministers 

the United Kingdom and the United States, 

also agreed on the statute for the members 

and with other international organisations.

of the High Authority and of the Court.

Throughout the meeting, Adenauer and 

Jean Monnet, the President of the High 

Monnet emphasised that the Coal and 

Authority, outlined what his institution had 

Steel Community was a first step on the 

accomplished to date and presented its 

path to further European integration.

work programme for the following months. 

 ⸺ 18

1952

Paris Treaty

1958

Rome Treaties

1965

1966

‘Empty chair’ crisis

Luxembourg compromise

1967
Merger Treaty

1993
Maastricht Treaty

2009
Lisbon Treaty

2020
A new digital reality

← First members of the Council (from left to right)

Netherlands

Jelle Zijlstra, Minister for Economic Affairs
Johan Willem Beyen, Minister for Foreign Affairs

Italy

Belgium

Germany

France

Pietro Campilli, Minister for Trade and Industry
Alcide De Gasperi, Minister for Foreign Affairs

Paul van Zeeland, Minister for Foreign Affairs
Jean Pierre Duvieusart, Minister for Economic Affairs

Konrad Adenauer, Chancellor and Minister for Foreign Affairs
Ludger Westrick, Secretary of State for Economic Affairs

Robert Schuman, Minister for Foreign Affairs 
Jean-Marie Louvel, Minister for Trade and Industry

Luxembourg

Joseph Bech, Minister for Foreign Affairs
Michel Rasquin, Minister for Economic Affairs

← Inaugural meeting of the 
Special Council of Ministers on 
8 September 1952 in Luxembourg.

→  
25 years later, on 16 June 1977 
Judith Hart, the UK Minister 
for Overseas Development, 
was the first woman ever to 
chair a Council meeting.

 ⸺ 19

The council of The european union ⸺ 20

19521958196519661967199320092020Paris TreatyRome Treaties‘Empty chair’ crisisLuxembourg compromiseMerger TreatyMaastricht TreatyLisbon TreatyA new digital reality‘[The Council] must uphold the interests 
of the Community in the same way as the 
interests of the individual states and strike 
a balance which does justice to each.’

Address by Chancellor Konrad Adenauer at the first meeting 
of the Special Council of the European Coal and Steel 
Community (Luxembourg, 8 September 1952)

← The Cercle Municipal 
in Luxembourg was the 
venue for meetings of the 
Special Council of Ministers 
between 1952 and 1967.

Indeed, 2 days after this first Council meeting, 

on 10 September 1952, the foreign ministers 

called on the Assembly to draft a treaty on the 

creation of a European Political Community. 

This would have a broader membership 

and be more supranational in nature.

Such a European Political Community did 

not come to fruition, however. The Assembly 

drafted a treaty, but the draft promptly gave 

rise to passionate public debates and lengthy 

diplomatic discussions. On 30 August 1954, 

the French National Assembly failed to ratify 

the Treaty establishing the European Defence 

Community, which the European Political 

Community was supposed to oversee, and 

both plans were gradually abandoned. Instead, 

the six countries chose to proceed along the 

path of progressive economic integration.

 ⸺ 21

19521958196519661967199320092020Paris TreatyRome Treaties‘Empty chair’ crisisLuxembourg compromiseMerger TreatyMaastricht TreatyLisbon TreatyA new digital realityThe council of The european union1952
Paris Treaty

1958
Rome Treaties

1965
‘Empty chair’ crisis

1966
Luxembourg compromise

1967

Merger Treaty

1993

2009

2020

Maastricht Treaty

Lisbon Treaty

A new digital reality

1958 ⸺ Two new councils for the European Economic 
Community and the European Atomic Energy Community

In June 1956, in Brussels, negotiations 

With a similar institutional structure to the 

started on the treaties establishing the 

European Coal and Steel Community, the two 

European Economic Community (EEC) and 

new communities each comprised a council 

the European Atomic Energy Community 

and a commission. The Assembly and the 

(EAEC or Euratom), also known as the 

Court were shared by the three communities.

Rome Treaties. These entered into force 

on 1 January 1958 and provided for 

The Rome Treaties also introduced a new voting 

general economic policy coordination.

system in addition to unanimity: qualified 

majority voting, whereby a different number 

of votes is assigned to each Member State.

The European Communities

1952 – 2002

European Coal and 
Steel Community

1958 – 1993

European Economic  
Community

1958 – present

European Atomic 
Energy Community

Special Council of Ministers

Council

Council

High Authority

Commission

Euratom Commission

Assembly, later European Parliament

Court

 ⸺ 22

1952

Paris Treaty

1958

Rome Treaties

1965

1966

‘Empty chair’ crisis

Luxembourg compromise

1967
Merger Treaty

1993
Maastricht Treaty

2009
Lisbon Treaty

2020
A new digital reality

↑ Ceremony for the signing of the EEC and EAEC Treaties in the Capitol’s 
Sala degli Orazi e Curiazi in Rome, Italy, on 25 March 1957.

Under the Treaty establishing the 
European Economic Community, 

goods, people, services and 

capital could move freely across 

the six Member States. That 

treaty would later lead to the 

creation of the European Union.

At the same time  
in the European Council…

In February 1957, the heads of 

government of the six Member States of 

the ECSC came together in Paris to iron 

out the remaining issues in the drafting 

of the Rome Treaties (e.g. procedures 

for implementing the common market). 

This was the starting point for regular 

European summits and what would 

later become the European Council.

 ⸺ 23

The council of The european unionJoint meeting of the tWo neW councils

The two new councils held a joint inaugural 

Again, the idea that the two new 

meeting in Brussels on 25 January 1958.

communities were further steps in the 

direction of a more politically and socially 

The meeting was chaired by Victor Larock, 

integrated Europe was prominent in the 

Belgian Minister for Foreign Affairs. Also 

addresses by the main speakers:

present were Walter Hallstein (first President 

of the EEC Commission), Paul Finet (President 

‘[T]he social objectives are 

of the ECSC High Authority) and Enrico Medi 

(Vice-President of the Euratom Commission).

The two new councils decided on their 

respective rules of procedure, on the 

rather swamped in the Economic 

Community Treaty as a whole 

… [b]ut if we want people in our 

countries and throughout Europe to 

communities’ initial budget and on the statute 

be won over to the ideas that guide 

of the members of the two commissions. The 

ministers also agreed to set up a Committee 

of Permanent Representatives (now usually 

referred to as ‘Coreper’) to do preparatory work 

for and coordinate meetings of the councils.

us, these are the objectives that 

need to be at the forefront of our 

minds. What would be the point in 

focusing on promoting production, 

trade and the free movement of 

capital if economic progress were 

not used for people’s benefit?’

Opening address by Victor Larock, Minister for 
Foreign Affairs of Belgium and president-in-office 
of the EEC and Euratom Councils, at their inaugural 
meeting in Brussels on 25 January 1958 (1)

Coreper is an abbreviation of the French 
Comité des représentants permanents. To 
this day, Coreper remains central to 

the work of the Council as it lays the 

groundwork for Council meetings.

For more information on Coreper, 

see section ‘Laying the groundwork 
for Council meetings’.

 ⸺ 24

19521958196519661967199320092020Paris TreatyRome Treaties‘Empty chair’ crisisLuxembourg compromiseMerger TreatyMaastricht TreatyLisbon TreatyA new digital reality↑ Five of the signatories to the Rome Treaties, 
Paul-Henri Spaak, Konrad Adenauer, Joseph Luns, 
Walter Hallstein and Jean-Charles Snoy et d’Oppuers, 
with the poster designed to mark the occasion, 
Belgian embassy in Rome, 26 March 1957.

→ 
Italian poster publicising the 
signing of the Rome Treaties with 
the slogan ‘Europe united for 
progress and peace’, 1957.

 ⸺ 25

19521958196519661967199320092020Paris TreatyRome Treaties‘Empty chair’ crisisLuxembourg compromiseMerger TreatyMaastricht TreatyLisbon TreatyA new digital realityThe council of The european union1952
Paris Treaty

1958
Rome Treaties

1965
‘Empty chair’ crisis

1966
Luxembourg compromise

1967

Merger Treaty

1993

2009

2020

Maastricht Treaty

Lisbon Treaty

A new digital reality

1965 ⸺ A time of political upheaval

the ‘empty chair’ crisis

With three communities, it became necessary 

to coordinate their activities. By 1960 the 

merging of the institutions into one council 

and one commission was already being 

discussed. Coreper held its first substantive 
discussion on the issue in November 1960 (2).

Negotiations were difficult because the political 

context of the 1960s was not favourable to 

compromises. The 1960s were marked by 

several crises, such as the failure of the 

‘Fouchet plans’ for a political union, France’s 

veto against the United Kingdom joining the 

European Economic Community, and France’s 

absence from Council meetings in what would 

be referred to as the ‘empty chair’ crisis.

At the same time  
in the European Council…

In February 1961, the 

President of France, 

Charles de Gaulle, hosted 

the first European summit 

in Paris to discuss closer 
political cooperation.

 ⸺ 26

How did the ‘empty chair’ 
crisis come about?

At the heart of the ‘empty chair’ crisis were 

concerns about money and power.

In 1964, the EEC Council had asked the 

Commission to propose new financing 

arrangements for the common agricultural 

policy for the period 1965-1970, as the relevant 

regulations were due to expire in July 1965.

Commission President Walter Hallstein 

took this opportunity to propose an overall 

revision of the EEC’s structures, covering:

 → a system of own resources, so that the 

EEC would no longer rely on Member 

States’ national contributions;

 → an extension of the Assembly’s 

budgetary powers;

 → greater responsibilities for the Commission.

In parallel with those discussions and 

with a view to the establishment of the 

common market, the EEC’s institutions 

were also preparing for increased use of 

qualified majority voting in the Council, 

as provided for in the EEC Treaty. However, 

such a development was at odds with 

French President Charles de Gaulle’s 

intergovernmental vision of Europe, as it would 

represent a shift towards supranationalism.

1952

Paris Treaty

1958

Rome Treaties

1965

1966

‘Empty chair’ crisis

Luxembourg compromise

1967
Merger Treaty

1993
Maastricht Treaty

2009
Lisbon Treaty

2020
A new digital reality

The crisis peaked on 30 June 1965 when the 

Council met to discuss the Commission’s 

proposals. France, represented by its ministers 

for agriculture and finance, Edgar Pisani and 

Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, disagreed vociferously 

with the Commission and the other five 

countries. The next day, the French government 

recalled its permanent representative from 

Brussels and announced its intention not to 

attend future meetings of the Council.

Qualified majority voting, which 
was introduced with the Rome 

Treaties in 1958, has been used 

increasingly often over time. 

Today, about 80 % of EU legislation 
is adopted by qualified majority.

↑ The ‘empty chair’ crisis: from 1 July 1965 to 29 January 
1966, France refused to attend any Council meetings.

 ⸺ 27

The council of The european union1952
Paris Treaty

1958
Rome Treaties

1965
‘Empty chair’ crisis

1966
Luxembourg compromise

1967

Merger Treaty

1993

2009

2020

Maastricht Treaty

Lisbon Treaty

A new digital reality

↑ Press conference after the first Council meeting without France, 28 July 1965.

the luxembourg compromise

The ‘empty chair’ crisis lasted 6 months. In 

qualified majority would affect vital national 

January 1966, following a 4-day meeting of 

interests, the Council would ‘endeavour, 

the Council in Luxembourg, the six Member 

within a reasonable time, to reach solutions 

States finally reached an agreement: 
the Luxembourg compromise (3).

which can be adopted by all members of 

the Council while respecting their mutual 

interests and those of the Community’.

The compromise was later referred to as an 

‘agreement to disagree’. It gave every Member 

The Luxembourg compromise is often seen as 

State a de facto power of veto. If a Member 

having had a negative impact on the process 

State considered that a decision taken by 

of European integration, as it gave individual 

 ⸺ 28

1952

Paris Treaty

1958

Rome Treaties

1965

1966

‘Empty chair’ crisis

Luxembourg compromise

1967
Merger Treaty

1993
Maastricht Treaty

2009
Lisbon Treaty

2020
A new digital reality

Three years after the 

‘empty chair’ crisis, at the 
European summit in The 

Hague in December 1969, 

it was finally decided that 

the Community should 

have its own financial 

resources after all.

Member States the opportunity to put proposals 

on hold and thus limit the Commission’s 

influence. However, such a view overlooks the 

crucial contribution it made. While it may have 

slowed down the process of integration relative 

to expectations, the compromise allowed that 

process to continue – and continue it did.

Since then, the founding treaties have been 

reworked five times. Each new treaty has 

extended the areas in which the EU has power 

to act and has made procedures more open and 

transparent.

↓ Reporters waiting while agriculture ministers meet to 
discuss the financial settlement on agriculture, 10 May 1966.

 ⸺ 29

The council of The european union1952
Paris Treaty

1958
Rome Treaties

1965
‘Empty chair’ crisis

1966
Luxembourg compromise

1967

Merger Treaty

1993

2009

2020

Maastricht Treaty

Lisbon Treaty

A new digital reality

1967 ⸺ A single Council for the European Communities

Until 1967, the councils of the three 

The two commissions and the High Authority 

communities met in parallel, chalking 

were merged into one Commission. The 

up an impressive 460 meetings.

Assembly and the Court were already 

shared by the three communities.

With the Merger Treaty, also known as the 

Brussels Treaty, the European landscape 

Despite the merging of the institutions, 

suddenly changed. The treaty consolidated 

there was no merging of the treaties. Each 

the three councils into one: the Council 

community retained its legal independence and 

of the European Communities. 

the merged Council performed slightly different 

roles for each of them, in line with the treaties.

Council meetings  
8 September 1952–16 January 2024

Paris Treaty

Rome Treaties

Merger Treaty

Maastricht Treaty

Lisbon Treaty

1952

1958

1967

1993

2009

2024

Special Council of the ECSC

109 sessions

224 sessions

127 sessions

   4 000 sessions

EEC Council

Euratom Council

Council of the European 
Communities and Council  
of the European Union

 ⸺ 30

1952

Paris Treaty

1958

Rome Treaties

1965

1966

‘Empty chair’ crisis

Luxembourg compromise

1967
Merger Treaty

1993
Maastricht Treaty

2009
Lisbon Treaty

2020
A new digital reality

↑ On 15 and 16 February 1971, farmers 
demonstrating against the common 
agricultural policy forced their way 
into the meeting room and interrupted 
the Council meeting on agriculture.

Meanwhile in the  
European Council…

At the Paris summit of December 1974, 

the European Council was created 

as an informal forum for discussion 

among heads of state or government.

 ⸺ 31

The council of The european union1952
Paris Treaty

1958
Rome Treaties

1965
‘Empty chair’ crisis

1966
Luxembourg compromise

1967

Merger Treaty

1993

2009

2020

Maastricht Treaty

Lisbon Treaty

A new digital reality

1993 ⸺ The Council of the European Union

It was in November 1993, with the entry 

into force of the Maastricht Treaty, that 

the Council was given its current name: 

Council of the European Union.

The Maastricht Treaty was of pivotal importance 

for the process of European integration. The 

European Union as we know it today owes its 

name and its nature to this treaty. The then 

12 Member States committed themselves to 

close political cooperation, in addition to the 

12

countries

economic cooperation already in place.

The common foreign and security policy 

The Maastricht Treaty consisted 

of three ‘pillars’:

 → European Community

made European political cooperation more 

consistent and more binding. Whereas 

previously there had been rather loose 

cooperation between EU countries in this area, 

they could now speak with one voice on the 

 → common foreign and security policy

world stage. The Council was to adopt common 

 → justice and home affairs.

positions and legal acts known as joint actions, 

and its presidency would represent the EU on 

It also paved the way for the common 

foreign affairs and security matters.

European currency, the euro.

The European Community pillar grouped 

together the three existing communities: 

the European Coal and Steel Community, 

the European Economic Community and 

the European Atomic Energy Community. 

It also introduced another legislative procedure 

known as ‘co-decision’, whereby legislation is 

adopted jointly and on an equal footing by the 

Council and the European Parliament as 

‘co-legislators’.

 ⸺ 32

The co-decision procedure has 
proven so crucial for the balance of 

power between the EU institutions 

that it has now become the standard 

procedure for EU legislative acts. It 

applies in most policy areas of the EU. 

In 2009, the procedure was renamed 

the ‘ordinary legislative procedure’ 

by the Lisbon Treaty, indicating that 
it had then become the norm.

1952

Paris Treaty

1958

Rome Treaties

1965

1966

‘Empty chair’ crisis

Luxembourg compromise

1967
Merger Treaty

1993
Maastricht Treaty

2009
Lisbon Treaty

2020
A new digital reality

↑ Original copy of the Maastricht Treaty.

The cooperation in the fields of justice 

and home affairs replaced an imperfect 

patchwork of bilateral cooperation between 

governments and allowed for much more 

effective action by EU countries. It covered 

At the same time  
in the European Council…

asylum policy, the crossing of external borders, 

The Maastricht Treaty also 

immigration policy, the fight against drug 

addiction and international fraud, judicial 

cooperation in civil and criminal matters, 

customs cooperation and police cooperation. 

The Council was to adopt joint positions 

and joint actions, on a unanimous basis.

addressed the role and set-up of the 

European Council. It formalised 

the practice whereby the European 

Council was chaired by the head of 

state or government of the country 
holding the Council presidency. 

 ⸺ 33

The council of The european union1952
Paris Treaty

1958
Rome Treaties

1965
‘Empty chair’ crisis

1966
Luxembourg compromise

1967

Merger Treaty

1993

2009

2020

Maastricht Treaty

Lisbon Treaty

A new digital reality

2009 ⸺ Lisbon Treaty: simplified voting system, 
presidency trios and the Eurogroup

The Lisbon Treaty, which entered into force 

on 1 December 2009, marked a further effort 

to make the EU stronger and more effective. 

It was the first treaty signed after the biggest 

single enlargement of the EU in its history. 

The treaty transformed the roles of the 

Council and the European Council.

For the Council, the Lisbon Treaty:

 → introduced the ‘presidency trios’,

 → expanded and simplified the qualified 

majority voting system, and

 → formalised the Eurogroup.

In addition, since the Lisbon Treaty, Council 

meetings on legislation (including debates 

and voting) have been broadcast.

Ten countries joined the EU on 1 May 

2004: Czechia, Estonia, Cyprus, 

Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, 

Poland, Slovenia and Slovakia. 

Two more countries joined on 1 January 

2007: Bulgaria and Romania.

 ⸺ 34

27

countries

Meanwhile in the  
European Council…

The Amsterdam Treaty (1999) 

introduced the position of High 

Representative for Common 

Foreign and Security Policy, to 

represent the EU on the world 

stage. The secretary-general 

of the Council of the EU would 

take on this additional role, 
which initially was more limited 

in scope than it is now.

The Nice Treaty (2003) specified 

that all regular EU summits 
would be held in Brussels.

1952

Paris Treaty

1958

Rome Treaties

1965

1966

‘Empty chair’ crisis

Luxembourg compromise

1967
Merger Treaty

1993
Maastricht Treaty

2009
Lisbon Treaty

2020
A new digital reality

↑ The Lisbon Treaty with sealed signatures.

presidency trios

Every 6 months, the rotation of the Council 

presidency brings a new dynamic to 

negotiations and a new set of priorities. 

Whereas the other EU institutions have 

a person as president, in the Council it is 

a Member State that performs this role. 
This is why it is called a ‘presidency’.

The Lisbon Treaty introduced the practice 

Every Member State – however big 

whereby three successive presidencies work 

or small – holds the presidency of 

closely together over an 18-month period to 

the Council every 13.5 years.

set long-term goals and prepare a common 

agenda. The aim was to increase consistency in 

the Council’s work, while still leaving room for 

different leadership styles and policy priorities.

 ⸺ 35

The council of The european union1952
Paris Treaty

1958
Rome Treaties

1965
‘Empty chair’ crisis

1966
Luxembourg compromise

1967

Merger Treaty

1993

2009

2020

Maastricht Treaty

Lisbon Treaty

A new digital reality

Qualified maJority voting

Nowadays, the Council decides in most 

The Lisbon Treaty also simplified the qualified 

instances by ‘qualified majority’, a voting 

majority voting system, establishing a double 

system based on a majority of EU countries 

majority system whereby – following a 

representing a majority of the EU population. 

proposal from the Commission – a qualified 

The exact conditions for reaching a qualified 

majority have changed several times since 

the system was first introduced in 1958, 

as have the cases in which this voting 

system applies instead of unanimity. 

The Treaties of Amsterdam (1999) and 

Nice (2003) had already significantly increased 

the scope of qualified majority voting. With the 

Lisbon Treaty (2009), it became the standard 

voting procedure in most policy areas.

majority is reached when:

 → at least 55 % of EU Member States 

(15 out of 27) vote in favour, and

 → those Member States represent at 

least 65 % of the EU population.

55 %

65 %

There are a few types of lawmaking that still 

That new system would apply from 2014.

require unanimity in the Council. These apply 

to matters that EU Member States consider to 

Under the previous rules each Member 

be particularly sensitive, such as the accession 

State had a certain number of votes, broadly 

of new countries to the EU, the EU’s long-term 

reflecting the size of its population. A proposal 

budget, the common foreign and security 

was adopted only if a certain vote threshold 

policy, and new rights for EU citizens.

was reached by a majority of Member States.

↗ You will find a complete list of the 

number of votes per EU Member 

State over time in the annex.

At the same time  
in the European Council…

The Lisbon Treaty (2009) officially 

gave the European Council 

the status of an EU institution 

and created the post of a fixed-

term and full-time President 
of the European Council.

 ⸺ 36

1952

Paris Treaty

1958

Rome Treaties

1965

1966

‘Empty chair’ crisis

Luxembourg compromise

1967
Merger Treaty

1993
Maastricht Treaty

2009
Lisbon Treaty

2020
A new digital reality

the eurogroup

After the Maastricht Treaty in 1993 provided 

for the common European currency, the 

euro, in 1997 the Eurogroup was created 

The Lisbon Treaty formalised the Eurogroup 
and the election of its president (4). It also 
amended the Council’s rules so that at Council 

to discuss matters relating to the euro. It 

meetings only Eurogroup members are allowed 

is an informal group bringing together the 

to vote on matters relating only to the euro.

finance ministers of the Member States that 

share the euro. The first Eurogroup meeting 

took place on 4 June 1998 in Luxembourg, 

a few months before the launch of the euro 

on 1 January 1999. On 1 January 2002 the 

euro went into circulation as banknotes 

and coins, replacing national currencies.

The Eurogroup does not hold euro 

summits. Euro summits are meetings 

of the heads of state or government 

– not finance ministers – of all the 

countries that use the euro. The first 

euro summit took place in 2008. 

Eurogroup presidents

Jeroen  
Dijsselbloem 
netherlands 
22 January 2013–
12 January 2018

Mário Centeno 
portugal 
13 January 2018 
–12 July 2020

Jean-Claude Juncker 
luxembourg 
1 January 2005–21 January 2013

Paschal Donohoe 
Ireland 
13 July 2020–present

 ⸺ 37

The council of The european union1952
Paris Treaty

1958
Rome Treaties

1965
‘Empty chair’ crisis

1966
Luxembourg compromise

1967

Merger Treaty

1993

2009

2020

Maastricht Treaty

Lisbon Treaty

A new digital reality

2020 ⸺ A new digital reality

By mid-March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic 

To ensure the continuity of Council decision-

had become a major crisis across Europe. With 

making, the rules therefore had to be modified 

many EU countries going into either full or 

so that Coreper – the committee doing the 

partial lockdown, ministers who used to travel 

preparatory work for Council decisions – could 

to Brussels for Council meetings had to stay 

also decide via qualified majority voting on 

in their home countries and meet ‘remotely’.

use of the written procedure. The validity 

of those temporary rules was extended 

Organising virtual Council meetings was 

12 times and eventually they were added 

a challenge. To meet the high demand for 

to the Council’s rules for good, in view of 

meetings and ensure data security, the 

infrastructure had to be expanded.

‘the high probability of situations requiring 
urgent action occurring in the future’ (5).

Still, the EU could not be run in a purely 

Videoconferences may not have been 

digital environment. Ministers cannot formally 

Council meetings as such, but they were 

adopt legal acts during a videoconference. 

essential for discussing Council decisions 

The Council’s rules required the presence of 

that were then taken in writing.

decision-makers in person or, alternatively, 

that decisions be taken in writing, but 

only on urgent matters and when the 

Council unanimously decided to do so.

← Videoconference of transport 
ministers in December 2020.

 ⸺ 38

1952

Paris Treaty

1958

Rome Treaties

1965

1966

‘Empty chair’ crisis

Luxembourg compromise

1967
Merger Treaty

1993
Maastricht Treaty

2009
Lisbon Treaty

2020
A new digital reality

Laying the groundwork 
for Council meetings

1 Council, 10 configurations

Though the Council is a single legal entity, 

it meets in different thematic groupings 

known as ‘Council configurations’.

The Lisbon Treaty increased the number of 

Council configurations from 9 to 10, with 

the General Affairs and External Relations 

configuration being split into two.

The rotating presidency organises and chairs 

all Council meetings, except for those of the 

Foreign Affairs Council, which are chaired 

by the High Representative of the Union 

for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

Agriculture and 
fisheries

Competitiveness

Economic and 
financial affairs

Education, youth, 
culture and sport

The groundwork for all Council meetings is laid 

by the permanent representatives to the EU 

(meeting in Coreper) and by working parties.

Employment, social 
policy, health and 
consumer affairs

Environment

Foreign affairs

General affairs

Justice and 
home affairs

Transport, 
telecommunications 
and energy

 ⸺ 39

The council of The european union↑ 1 000th meeting of Coreper on 20 October 1980 in the Charlemagne building in 
Brussels, Belgium, which was the Council’s headquarters at the time.

The Treaty establishing the European Coal and 

Steel Community (ECSC) in 1952 did not contain 

any provisions on the preparatory work that 

should be done for meetings of the Special 

Council of Ministers. However, the decision-

making process of that new institution was 

complex and there was a need to discuss and 

coordinate the positions of the six Member States 

in advance of formal meetings. This led to the 
setting up of a coordination committee in 1953.

The coordination committee was not a 

permanent body. National governments 

sent representatives to Luxembourg 

according to the subjects on the agenda.

coreper – member 
states' permanent 
representatives to the eu

Coreper is an abbreviation of the French 

Comité des représentants permanents. It is the 

Council’s main preparatory body. All items 

to be included on the agenda for Council 

meetings must first be examined by Coreper, 

unless the Council decides otherwise.

Coreper is composed of the EU countries’ 

representatives who are based permanently 

in Brussels. They have the status of 

ambassadors to the EU and express the 

positions of their governments. They are 

each assisted by a team of national experts 

seconded from their home ministries.

 ⸺ 40

↑ Coreper II meeting of 5 October 2022 in the Europa building in Brussels, Belgium.

Despite its ever-changing composition, the 

In 1967, the existence of Coreper was 

committee proved to be extremely successful – so 

enshrined in the Merger Treaty, and thus 

much so that in 1958 a Committee of Permanent 

for the first time in primary law. The 

Representatives of the Governments 
of the Member States (6) was set up.

Amsterdam Treaty of 1999 gave Coreper 

the right to take procedural decisions.

Coreper worked as a single body until 

The rather broad definition of Coreper’s role in 

it was split into two parts in 1962 on 

the treaties does not do justice to the crucial 

account of its intensive work schedule:

importance it has assumed over the years in 

 → Coreper I, comprising the deputy 

permanent representatives, who deal with 

questions of a more technical nature;

ensuring the smooth functioning of the Council. 

Though it is not an EU decision-making body 

– and any agreement it reaches can be called 

into question by the Council, which alone has 

 → Coreper II, comprising the permanent 

the power to make decisions – Coreper has 

representatives themselves, who 

deal with political and economic 

since its creation played a vital role in managing 

complex and difficult negotiations. Long hours 

questions of a cross-cutting nature.

spent working together intensively mean 

Coreper members have valuable experience in 

helping the EU countries to reach compromises.

 ⸺ 41

The council of The european unionspecialised Working 
parties and committees

Coreper or the Council may set up further 
committees or working parties to assist the 
Council. Composed of national experts, such 
groups are the starting point for negotiations 
before a subject is addressed by Coreper.

the general secretariat

The General Secretariat of the Council 

assists, advises and helps coordinate the 

work of the Council and, since the Lisbon 

Treaty, the European Council. Although it 

started out with only 10 people in 1952, the 

secretariat now has around 3 000 staff.

In 1952, the Special Council of Ministers 

As was the case for Coreper, the secretariat 

set up the first committee, which 
dealt with commercial affairs (7).

Other high-level committees have been 

set up over the years, for example:

 → the Special Committee on Agriculture

 → the Economic and Financial Committee

 → the Political and Security Committee

 → the Article 113 Committee (now 

the Trade Policy Committee).

In addition, some cross-sectoral committees 

have been established, such as the Mertens 

group and the Antici group, which do 

was not mentioned in the communities’ 

founding treaties, but the ECSC Special Council 

could not have operated without one.

In a letter to German Chancellor Konrad 

Adenauer on 17 November 1952, the 

newly appointed Secretary-General, 

Christian Calmes, described in detail 

the composition of the secretariat:

‘Its staff of ten currently breaks 

down as follows: the Secretary (L), 

an administrator (B), a supervisor 

(also acts as accountant), an 

preparatory work for Coreper meetings. 

archivist (also acts as translator), 

These two groups help to form an initial idea 

of the positions that the various permanent 

representatives or their deputies will take 

at Coreper meetings. They comprise the 

two secretaries, a typist (also acts as 

telephonist), a clerical assistant (also 

deals with duplication), a driver (also 

assistants of the permanent representatives 

acts as messenger) and a caretaker 

(Antici) or of their deputies (Mertens).

(also provides clerical back-up)’ (8).

As the EU’s areas of responsibility increased, 

more and more specialised groups were set 

up. Today there are more than 150 highly 

specialised working parties and committees.

This small administrative body was 

mainly concerned with the logistics 

of the meetings of the Special Council 

of Ministers. The secretariat’s role has 

changed considerably since then.

 ⸺ 42

When the two new communities, EEC and 

organising, coordinating and ensuring the 

Euratom, were set up, the three councils 

decided to share the secretariat. In 1993 the 

Maastricht Treaty acknowledged its existence 
and its role of assisting the Council (9).

coherence of the Council’s work’ and assist 
the presidency in seeking solutions (11).

The secretary-general

In addition to more conventional tasks 

The secretariat is led by a secretary-general, 

such as document preparation, translation 

who is appointed by the Council by 

and minute-taking, the secretariat has also 

qualified majority. The main roles of 

gradually taken on policy roles. Today, it 

the secretary-general are to assist the 

ensures continuity in the work of the Council 

Council and the European Council 

and advises the presidency on reaching 

compromises, based on its knowledge of 

policies, procedures and institutional matters.

and to manage the secretariat.

The first secretary-general in 1952 was 

Christian Calmes. The secretariat has since 

The increasingly central role of the secretariat 

had a further eight secretaries-general.

was endorsed at the European Council meeting 

in Helsinki in December 1999, as the EU was 
preparing for its biggest ever enlargement (10), 
and subsequently recognised in the Council’s 

rules. These stipulate that the secretariat 

must be ‘closely and continually involved in 

← Thérèse Blanchet, 
Secretary-General 
of the Council since 
November 2022.

 ⸺ 43

The council of The european unionUwe Corsepius

 germany

 26 June 2011–30 June 2015

The secretaries-general of the Council  
and the growth of the secretariat

↓ Number of staff

3 110  
in November 2022 

3 020  
in July 2015 

3 068  
in June 2011 (12)

3 237  
in December 2009 

2 522  
in November 1999 

2 197  
in September 1994 

1 457  
in October 1980 

Niels Ersbøll
 denmark
8 October 1980–31 August 1994

974  
in July 1973 

Nicolas Hommel
 luxembourg 
 1 July 1973–7 October 1980 

10  
in November 1952

Christian Calmes
luxembourg
9 September 1952–14 June 1973

1952

 ⸺ 44

1960

1970

1980

Thérèse Blanchet
France 
Since 1 November 2022

Jeppe Tranholm-Mikkelsen       
 denmark
 1 July 2015–30 April 2022 (13)

Uwe Corsepius
 germany
 26 June 2011–30 June 2015

Pierre de Boissieu 
 France 
 1 December 2009–25 June 2011 

Javier Solana 
spaIn 
18 October 1999–30 November 2009 

Jürgen Trumpf 
germany 
1 September 1994–17 October 1999

2000

2010

2020 2022

 ⸺ 45

The council of The european union04. 

The European 
Council

From summit to EU institution

 ⸺ 46

In this section:

Brief history of the European Council

1957 First steps in European summitry

1965 Time of political upheaval

1969 Completion, deepening and  

enlargement of the Community

1974 Creation of the European Council

1987 A legal basis for the European Council

 ⸺ 48

 ⸺ 50

 ⸺ 52

⸺ 53

 ⸺ 54

 ⸺ 60

1993 Clarifying the European Council’s role and powers

 ⸺ 63

1999 Further reforming the European Union

2004 A constitution for Europe?

2009 The European Council becomes  

a fully fledged institution

 ⸺ 65

 ⸺ 68

 ⸺ 69

The European Council since the Lisbon Treaty

 ⸺ 76

 ⸺ 47

 
1961
First European Summit

1965
'Empty chair crisis'

1974
Creation of the 
European Council

1987
Single European Act

1993

1999

Maastricht Treaty

Amsterdam Treaty

2003

Nice Treaty

2009

Lisbon Treaty

1974: French President Valéry Giscard 

d’Estaing declares: ‘The European summit 

is dead, long live the European Council!’.

1961: the first summit of the heads 

of state or government of the six 

Member States of the European 

Communities takes place in Paris.

Introduction

The European Council is the institution 

where the EU countries’ heads of state or 

government meet. Their meetings are usually 

referred to as European summits.

As the strategic institution of the 

European Union, the European Council 

occupies a special position within 

the EU’s institutional architecture. 

It decides the EU’s future 

direction, its general priorities 

and its political and economic 

strategies, mostly by consensus. 

Its origins lie in the summits 

of the heads of state or 

government of the countries 

that founded the European 

Communities, the first of which 

was held in February 1961 in Paris. 

Since then, the European Council has 

gradually grown from an occasional forum 

for discussions to a fully fledged EU institution.

Its story reflects that of the EU as a whole: its 

policies and ambitions, its crises and progress. 

Brief history of the 
European Council

 ⸺ 48

1961

1965

First European Summit

'Empty chair crisis'

1974

Creation of the 

European Council

1987

Single European Act

1993
Maastricht Treaty

1999
Amsterdam Treaty

2003
Nice Treaty

2009
Lisbon Treaty

1987: the Single European 

Act gives the European 

Council a legal basis.

2009: the Lisbon Treaty makes the 

European Council an EU institution 

with a full-time president.

↑ First summit of heads of 
state or government, 10 and 11 
February 1961, Paris, France.

 ⸺ 49

THE EuropEan council1961
First European Summit

1965
'Empty chair crisis'

1974
Creation of the 
European Council

1987
Single European Act

1993

1999

Maastricht Treaty

Amsterdam Treaty

2003

Nice Treaty

2009

Lisbon Treaty

1957 ⸺ First steps in European summitry

1957 – heads of government 
meet in paris

On 19 and 20 February 1957 the heads of 

government and foreign ministers of the 

six Member States of the European Coal 

and Steel Community (ECSC) met in Paris, 

at the invitation of French Prime Minister 

Guy Mollet, then President of the ECSC 

Special Council of Ministers. Their goal was 

to resolve the outstanding issues in the 

drafting of the Rome Treaties (e.g. procedures 

for implementing the common market).

1961 – first european summit

After the Rome Treaties entered into force in 

1958, the idea of meeting at the highest political 

level was again put forward by French President 

Charles de Gaulle. On 10 and 11 February 1961 

he hosted the first summit of the heads of 

state or government of the six Member States 

of the European Communities in Paris.

The purpose of this first summit was ‘to 

seek the methods by which closer political 
cooperation could be organised’ (14).

 ⸺ 50

6

countries

The Rome Treaties created the 
European Economic Community 

(EEC) and the European Atomic 

Energy Community (EAEC), 

with general economic policy 

coordination in addition to the 

common market for coal and 

steel. Goods, people, services and 

capital could move freely across 

the six member countries.

1961

1965

First European Summit

'Empty chair crisis'

1974

Creation of the 

European Council

1987

Single European Act

1993
Maastricht Treaty

1999
Amsterdam Treaty

2003
Nice Treaty

2009
Lisbon Treaty

↑ First summit of heads of state or government, 
10 and 11 February 1961, Paris, France.

The fact that the meeting was held at the level 

Five months later, at the summit in Bonn, the 

of heads of state or government – and not 

leaders of the six countries explored the idea 

that of ministers meeting in the three councils 

of deeper political cooperation. They decided:

of the European Communities  – made it 

possible to address crucial issues not dealt 

with by the Paris and Rome Treaties, such 

as relations with non-member countries.

‘To hold at regular intervals 

meetings whose aim will be to 

compare their views, to concert 

their policies and to reach common 

positions in order to further the 
political union of Europe’ (15).

 ⸺ 51

THE EuropEan council1961
First European Summit

1965
'Empty chair crisis'

1974
Creation of the 
European Council

1987
Single European Act

1993

1999

Maastricht Treaty

Amsterdam Treaty

2003

Nice Treaty

2009

Lisbon Treaty

1965 ⸺ Time of political upheaval

Christian Fouchet, French 
ambassador to Denmark, chaired 
a committee to look at European 

cooperation at the request of the 

heads of state or government. 

Fouchet made two proposals for 

a ‘Union of States’. This was a step 

too far for the other Member States. 

The failure of the Fouchet plans 

triggered a series of political crises 

characterised by disagreement over 

the nature of European integration.

↓ Working session during the European 
summit in Paris, France, 1972, with German 
Economic and Financial Affairs Minister 
Helmut Schmidt, Chancellor Willy Brandt and 
Foreign Affairs Minister Walter Scheel.

Despite this ambition, progress towards 

a possible political union suffered 

several setbacks, including:

 → the failure of the ‘Fouchet plans’ 

of 1961-1962, which aimed to 

create a political union;

 → the disagreements of 1963 and 1967 on 

the first enlargement, when France vetoed 

the accession of the United Kingdom;

 → the ‘empty chair’ crisis of 1965-1966, 

when France decided not to participate 

in the meetings of the Council of the 

European Economic Community.

In this difficult political climate, heads of state 

or government did not meet again until May 

1967, when the Rome summit provided the 

occasion for the formal celebration of the 10th 

anniversary of the signing of the Rome Treaties.

From 1 July 1965 to 29 January 1966, 

France refused to attend meetings of 

the EEC Council, which became known 
as the ‘empty chair’ crisis. The cause 
was disagreement with a proposal from 

the Commission on the financing of the 

common agricultural policy, including 

own resources for the EEC and greater 
responsibilities for the Commission. 

 ⸺ 52

1961

1965

First European Summit

'Empty chair crisis'

1974

Creation of the 

European Council

1987

Single European Act

1993
Maastricht Treaty

1999
Amsterdam Treaty

2003
Nice Treaty

2009
Lisbon Treaty

1969 ⸺ Completion, deepening and 
enlargement of the Community

↑ First summit with the 
Commission in December 
1969, The Hague, Netherlands.

The European Economic Community was relaunched 

at the summit in The Hague in December 1969, in 

which the Commission participated for the first time. 

Decisions taken at that summit opened the way to:

 → giving the Community its own financial resources,

 → launching foreign policy cooperation,

 → admitting Denmark, Ireland and the United 

Kingdom into the Community.

Together, these steps represented the ‘completion, 
deepening and enlargement’ (16) of the Community.

 ⸺ 53

THE EuropEan council1961
First European Summit

1965
'Empty chair crisis'

1974
Creation of the 
European Council

1987
Single European Act

1993

1999

Maastricht Treaty

Amsterdam Treaty

2003

Nice Treaty

2009

Lisbon Treaty

1974 ⸺ Creation of the 
European Council

The Copenhagen summit in December 

1973 established the possibility of holding 

summits whenever necessary.

9   

A year later, at the Paris summit in December 

1974, hosted by French President Valéry 

9

countries

Giscard d’Estaing, it was decided that 

The European Council’s role in moving the 

heads of state or government should meet 

European project forward was confirmed in 

regularly as the ‘European Council’.

the 1980s, when the EEC faced stalemates in 

Accompanied by foreign ministers, 

the heads of state or government 

would meet ‘three times a year 

... and whenever necessary’.

relation to its budget and to agriculture.

A decisive moment was the summit in 

Fontainebleau, France, in June 1984, 

where leaders not only succeeded in 

resolving those issues but also set out a 

The European Council was tasked with 

path for further integration, setting up an 

addressing the ‘need for an overall 

approach to the internal problems involved 

in achieving European unity and the 
external problems facing Europe’ (17).

This was an explicitly political role, a departure 

from the largely technical and economic 

nature of the European project since 1957.

The new European Council met for the 

first time in March 1975 in Dublin.

From then on it was to be politically central to 

the development of the European project, 

despite lacking a legal basis in the treaties until 

more than a decade later.

 ⸺ 54

1961

1965

First European Summit

'Empty chair crisis'

1974

Creation of the 

European Council

1987

Single European Act

1993
Maastricht Treaty

1999
Amsterdam Treaty

2003
Nice Treaty

2009
Lisbon Treaty

ad hoc committee (18) on the institutional 
reform of the Communities, with the goal 

of improving political cooperation.

A year later, in June 1985, the committee’s 

report was debated at the summit in 

Milan, during which the decision was 

taken to rewrite the Rome Treaties.

The revision focused on:

 → the creation of a single market,

 → the functioning of the 

Community institutions,

 → freedom of movement, and

 → the common foreign and security policy.

‘The European summit is dead,  
long live the European Council!’

French President Valéry Giscard d’Estaing at the press 
conference following the Paris summit, 1974

 ⸺ 55

THE EuropEan councilMariano Rumor

François-Xavier Ortoli

Gaston Thorn

Minister for Foreign 
Affairs of Italy 

Commission President 

Prime Minister of Luxembourg

Helmut Schmidt

Federal Chancellor 
of Germany

Joop den Uyl

Prime Minister of 
the Netherlands

↑ This ‘family photo’ taken at the first European Council 
meeting in March 1975 in Dublin, Ireland, shows heads 
of state or government smiling and looking relaxed.

 ⸺ 56

Knud Borge Andersen

Valéry Giscard d’Estaing

Leo Tindemans

Minister for Foreign 
Affairs of Denmark 

President of France

Prime Minister of Belgium 

Liam Cosgrave

Prime Minister of Ireland 
and President-in-office 
of the Council

Harold Wilson

Prime Minister of the 
United Kingdom 

→ Harold Wilson cuts 
his birthday cake.

EuropEan council

 ⸺ 57

↑ Reception for European heads of state or government hosted 
by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace in the margins 
of the European Council meeting in London, 30 June 1977.

 ⸺ 58

19611965197419871993199920032009First European Summit'Empty chair crisis'Creation of the European CouncilSingle European ActMaastricht TreatyAmsterdam TreatyNice TreatyLisbon Treaty↑ Margaret Thatcher, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, 
at the press conference after the European Council meeting 
of 29 and 30 November 1979 in Dublin, Ireland. During the 
meeting she is reported to have said ‘I want my money 
back, and I want it now’. In November 1981, she was the 
first woman to chair a European Council meeting.

 ⸺ 59

THE EuropEan council19611965197419871993199920032009First European Summit'Empty chair crisis'Creation of the European CouncilSingle European ActMaastricht TreatyAmsterdam TreatyNice TreatyLisbon Treaty1961
First European Summit

1965
'Empty chair crisis'

1974
Creation of the 
European Council

1987
Single European Act

1993

1999

Maastricht Treaty

Amsterdam Treaty

2003

Nice Treaty

2009

Lisbon Treaty

1987 ⸺ A legal basis for 
the European Council

At the summit in Luxembourg in December 1985, 

the heads of state or government reached political 

agreement on the Single European Act. The act, 

which entered into force on 1 July 1987, revised 

the Rome Treaties and introduced political 

cooperation in the field of foreign policy.

Catching up with the political reality, the Single 

European Act gave the European Council a legal 

basis for the first time, enshrining its existence 

in the treaty and defining its composition:

‘The European Council shall bring together 

the Heads of State or Government of the 

Member States and the President of the 

Commission of the European Communities. 

They shall be assisted by the Ministers 

for Foreign Affairs and by a Member of 

the Commission. The European Council 

shall meet at least twice a year.’

10

countries

 ⸺ 60

← Map of Europe highlighting 
the 10 countries that were 
members of the European 
Communities in 1985.

1961

1965

First European Summit

'Empty chair crisis'

1974

Creation of the 

European Council

1987

Single European Act

1993
Maastricht Treaty

1999
Amsterdam Treaty

2003
Nice Treaty

2009
Lisbon Treaty

The Single European Act did not define the 

powers of the European Council, nor did 

it formally confirm its institutional status. 

However, neither of these factors impeded 

the European Council’s contribution to 

the most important developments in the 

construction of Europe, such as the creation 

of the economic and monetary union.

↓ On 28 April 1990, at a special meeting 
in Dublin, Ireland, the European 
Council decided to integrate a 
reunified Germany into the European 
Community; in the centre, German 
Federal Chancellor Helmut Kohl.

 ⸺ 61

THE EuropEan council1961
First European Summit

1965
'Empty chair crisis'

1974
Creation of the 
European Council

1987
Single European Act

1993

1999

Maastricht Treaty

Amsterdam Treaty

2003

Nice Treaty

2009

Lisbon Treaty

↑ Signing of the Maastricht Treaty on 
7 February 1992 in Maastricht, Netherlands.

 ⸺ 62

1961

1965

First European Summit

'Empty chair crisis'

1974

Creation of the 

European Council

1987

Single European Act

1993
Maastricht Treaty

1999
Amsterdam Treaty

2003
Nice Treaty

2009
Lisbon Treaty

1993 ⸺ Clarifying the European Council’s 
role and powers

At the summit in Maastricht, in December 1991, 

the European Council reached agreement 

on a new treaty which would cover an 

economic and monetary union and a 

political union: the Treaty on European 

Union or Maastricht Treaty, which 

entered into force in November 1993.

The treaty:

 → established the European Community, 

grouping together the three existing 

communities – the European Coal 

and Steel Community, the European 

Economic Community and the European 

Atomic Energy Community;

 → provided for a common foreign and security 

policy, further developing European political 

cooperation in this area and making it 

more consistent and more binding;

 → provided for cooperation in the 

fields of justice and home affairs.

As regards the European Council, the Maastricht 

Treaty addressed its role, in particular its 

relations with the European Parliament and 

the Commission, and clarified its mission.

12

countries

The Maastricht Treaty had a profound 
impact on European integration. 

The European Union as we know it 

today owes its name and its nature to 

this treaty. It also paved the way for 

the economic and monetary union 

and the single currency, the euro.

At the same time in the Council…

The Maastricht Treaty also introduced 

the ‘co-decision’ procedure, whereby 

legislation is adopted jointly and on 
an equal footing by the Council of the 

European Union and the European 

Parliament. In 2009, the procedure 

was renamed the ‘ordinary legislative 

procedure’ by the Lisbon Treaty, 
indicating it had then become the norm.

 ⸺ 63

THE EuropEan council1961
First European Summit

1965
'Empty chair crisis'

1974
Creation of the 
European Council

1987
Single European Act

1993

1999

Maastricht Treaty

Amsterdam Treaty

2003

Nice Treaty

2009

Lisbon Treaty

The treaty formalised the practice whereby 

The European Council’s mission as set 

the European Council was chaired by the head 

out in the treaty reflected the role it had 

of state or government of the country holding 

in effect already played since 1975:

the presidency of the Council of the EU.

In keeping with the increase in the 

Parliament’s powers, the treaty also provided 

that the European Council must submit 

a report to the Parliament after each of 

its meetings and an annual report on the 

progress made by the European Union.

‘The European Council shall provide 

the Union with the necessary 

impetus for its development 

and shall define the general 
political guidelines thereof.’ (19)

 ⸺ 64

1961

1965

First European Summit

'Empty chair crisis'

1974

Creation of the 

European Council

1987

Single European Act

1993
Maastricht Treaty

1999
Amsterdam Treaty

2003
Nice Treaty

2009
Lisbon Treaty

1999 ⸺ Further reforming the European Union

common foreign and 
security policy

In 1996, The European Council decided 

to revise the Maastricht Treaty to deal 

more effectively with the internal and 

external challenges of the coming 

years: ‘changes in the international 

The treaty set out the European 

Council’s powers in relation to the 

common foreign and security policy:

‘The European Council shall 

define the principles of and 

general guidelines for the 

common foreign and security 

situation; globalisation of the economy 

policy, including for matters 

and its consequences for employment, 

competitiveness and job creation within 

the Union; terrorism, drug trafficking 

and international crime; migratory 
pressure; ecological imbalances’ (20). 

At the summit in Amsterdam, in June 

1997, the European Council reached an 

agreement on what would be known 

as the Amsterdam Treaty, which 

entered into force on 1 May 1999.

← Schelto Patijn, Mayor of Amsterdam, 
and Hans van den Broek, European 
Commissioner, arriving at the European 
Council meeting of 16 and 17 June 1997.

with defence implications. 

[It] shall decide on common 

strategies to be implemented 

by the Union in areas where the 

Member States have important 

interests in common.’

The important role of the European 

Council in this area was driven by 

events in the former Yugoslavia.

The Amsterdam Treaty also introduced 

the position of High Representative for 

Common Foreign and Security Policy, 

to represent the EU on the world stage. It 

was decided that the secretary-general of 

the Council would also perform this role. 

Secretary-General Jürgen Trumpf thus 

became the first high representative, but 

only for a few months. In June 1999, the 

European Council appointed Javier Solana. 

He took up both posts later that year, after 

standing down as NATO secretary-general.

 ⸺ 65

THE EuropEan council1961
First European Summit

1965
'Empty chair crisis'

1974
Creation of the 
European Council

1987
Single European Act

1993

1999

Maastricht Treaty

Amsterdam Treaty

2003

Nice Treaty

2009

Lisbon Treaty

asylum and migration policy

Following the entry into force of the Amsterdam 

Treaty, the Tampere summit in October 1999 

was devoted to the establishment of an 

‘area of freedom, security and justice in the 

EU’. The European Council called for the 

implementation of a ‘common EU asylum 

and migration policy’. This opened the way 

for significant progress in police and judicial 

cooperation, an ambition that would be given 

even greater urgency by the 9/11 terrorist 

attacks in the United States 2 years later.

preparing for the  
eu’s enlargement

The process of treaty reform continued, in 

particular to rise to the challenges of the EU’s 

upcoming enlargement, the biggest in its 

history. In a larger EU the competitiveness 

of the European economy became even 

more important, and the EU institutions 

had to become more efficient.

To improve competitiveness, in March 2000 (21) 
the European Council decided to take on ‘a 

stronger guiding and coordinating role … to 

ensure more coherent strategic direction 

and effective monitoring of progress’. From 

now on, the European Council would meet 

every spring to follow up on this subject.

↓ Signing of the Nice Treaty.

 ⸺ 66

1961

1965

First European Summit

'Empty chair crisis'

1974

Creation of the 

European Council

1987

Single European Act

1993
Maastricht Treaty

1999
Amsterdam Treaty

2003
Nice Treaty

2009
Lisbon Treaty

→  
At the European Council 
meeting in Copenhagen, 
Denmark in December 
2002, the negotiations 
on the accession of 
10 countries to the 
EU were concluded.

Ten countries joined 

the EU on 1 May 2004: 

Czechia, Estonia, Cyprus, 

Latvia, Lithuania, 

Hungary, Malta, Poland, 
Slovenia and Slovakia. 

Two more countries 
joined on 1 January 2007: 

Bulgaria and Romania.

In December 2000 (22), the European Council 
concluded negotiations on the Nice Treaty, 

which entered into force on 1 April 2003. The 

treaty further reformed the EU institutions 

to make them more efficient in a larger 

EU. It also designated Brussels as the 

venue for formal European summits:

‘As from 2002, one European 

Council meeting per presidency 

will be held in Brussels. When the 

Union comprises 18 members, 

all European Council meetings 
will be held in Brussels’ (23).

In 2004, 10 countries joined the European 

Union, bringing the number of Member 

States to 25. From October 2003, all formal 

European summits were held in Brussels.

 ⸺ 67

THE EuropEan council1961
First European Summit

1965
'Empty chair crisis'

1974
Creation of the 
European Council

1987
Single European Act

1993

1999

Maastricht Treaty

Amsterdam Treaty

2003

Nice Treaty

2009

Lisbon Treaty

2004 ⸺ A constitution for Europe?

The Nice Treaty had a difficult birth. 

However, in referenda held in France and 

It took 5 days and 4 nights of discussions 

the Netherlands, a majority of French and 

to finally conclude it in the early hours of 

Dutch voters rejected the treaty, which 

11 December 2000. The Nice summit remains 

consequently could not be ratified.

the longest European summit to date.

In response to this setback, the heads of state 

The entry into force of the treaty was 

or government announced a 1-year reflection 

also in doubt for a time, after Irish 

period and did not meet again until June 2006. 

voters initially rejected it in a referendum 

The ensuing Berlin Declaration, adopted 

in June 2001. This referendum result 

on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of 

was, however, reversed in a subsequent 

the Rome Treaties, expressed the aim of:

referendum held a little over a year later.

Those difficulties prompted a review 

of working methods and a search for a 

process broader than a diplomatic conclave 

of heads of state or government.

As a consequence, the European Council 

adopted the Laeken Declaration at its 

summit in Brussels in December 2001, 

calling for a convention on the future of 

Europe. That convention drafted the Treaty 
establishing a Constitution for Europe (24), 
which was signed in October 2004.

The Lisbon Treaty was never intended 
to be read as a free-standing text. It is a 

list of amendments to the Rome Treaty 

and the Maastricht Treaty. Revised 

(‘consolidated’) versions of those treaties 
were published in the Official Journal of 
the European Union in 2010 and 2012.

 ⸺ 68

‘placing the EU on a renewed 

common basis before the European 

Parliament elections in 2009’.

The treaty that emerged from this 

process was signed in Lisbon in 

December 2007: the Lisbon Treaty.

↑ Original copy of the Lisbon Treaty.

1961

1965

First European Summit

'Empty chair crisis'

1974

Creation of the 

European Council

1987

Single European Act

1993
Maastricht Treaty

1999
Amsterdam Treaty

2003
Nice Treaty

2009
Lisbon Treaty

2009 ⸺ The European Council becomes 
a fully fledged institution

The Lisbon Treaty replaced the draft Treaty 

establishing a Constitution for Europe and 

amended the existing treaties (Treaty on 

European Union (Maastricht) and Treaty 

establishing the European Community (Rome)). 

It entered into force on 1 December 2009.

Prominent changes included:

 → legal personality for the European Union, 

thus enabling the EU to sign international 

treaties and join international organisations;

27

countries

 → the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights 

formal recognition

being made legally binding;

 → the introduction of a legal framework 

for EU Member States to leave the EU 

The Lisbon Treaty’s aim was to make 

the EU’s institutions more democratic, 

(Article 50), which was used for the first time 

efficient and transparent.

in 2017 by the United Kingdom (Brexit);

 → the creation of the European External 

Action Service, headed by the High 

Representative of the Union for 

Foreign Affairs and Security Policy;

With the Lisbon Treaty, the European Council, 

until then an informal gathering of the EU 

countries’ heads of state or government, 

became the seventh EU institution.

 → more powers for the European Parliament;

This formal recognition confirmed its 

 → simplified qualified majority voting 

(double majority) for the Council of the 

European Union, with use of this voting 

system extended to more EU policy areas.

separateness from the Council, while making 

it subject to all the rules applicable to the 

EU’s institutions. For example, in the rare 

cases when the European Council adopts 

binding EU legal acts, it must comply with 

the legal basis provided by the treaty 

and these acts can be brought before the 

Court of Justice of the European Union.

 ⸺ 69

THE EuropEan council1961
First European Summit

1965
'Empty chair crisis'

1974
Creation of the 
European Council

1987
Single European Act

1993

1999

Maastricht Treaty

Amsterdam Treaty

2003

Nice Treaty

2009

Lisbon Treaty

European Union institutions:

Now an EU institution, the European 

European Council

Council of the 
European Union 

Council also adopted its own rules of 
procedure (25), which provide that the 
European Council should meet twice every 

6 months, in principle in Brussels.

a full-time president

European Parliament

Council by the Maastricht Treaty and confirmed 

The strategic role assigned to the European 

European Commission

Court of Justice  
of the European Union

European Central Bank

European Court 
of Auditors

by the Lisbon Treaty required that its work be 

prepared and guided by a more stable and 

permanent leadership than the one offered 

by the rotating presidency of the Council of 

the EU. One of the most important innovations 

of the Lisbon Treaty was the creation of the 

post of President of the European Council.

The tasks (26) of the president are to:

 → chair the European Council and 

drive forward its work,

 → ensure the preparation and continuity 

of the work of the European Council,

 → facilitate cohesion and consensus.

The president represents the EU externally, 

along with the High Representative of 

the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security 

Policy and/or the President of the European 

Commission, depending on the occasion.

The European Council and its president 

are assisted by the General Secretariat 

of the Council, but the president also 

has their own private office.

 ⸺ 70

1961

1965

First European Summit

'Empty chair crisis'

1974

Creation of the 

European Council

1987

Single European Act

1993
Maastricht Treaty

1999
Amsterdam Treaty

2003
Nice Treaty

2009
Lisbon Treaty

The European Council elects 

its president by qualified 

majority for a fixed term of 

2.5 years, renewable once.

In November 2009, the European 

Council appointed the then Belgian 

Prime Minister, Herman Van Rompuy, 

as the first holder of the post.

The European summit of 10 and 11 December 

2009 was the last one chaired by the head 

of state or government of the Member State 

holding the rotating presidency of the Council, 

Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt.

The first meeting chaired by Herman 

Van Rompuy was an informal meeting 

of heads of state or government at the 

Solvay Library in Brussels, on 11 February 

2010, during which the future direction of 

EU economic policies was discussed.

↓ First formal European Council meeting chaired 
by Herman Van Rompuy, March 2010.

 ⸺ 71

THE EuropEan council→  
Female leaders at the European Council meeting in 
September 2010. From left to right: Dalia Grybauskaitė, 
President of Lithuania, Angela Merkel, Chancellor 
of Germany, Iveta Radičová, Prime Minister of 
Slovakia, Mari Kiviniemi, Prime Minister of Finland, 
and Catherine Ashton, High Representative of the 
Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

← German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the 
European Council meeting in Brussels, Belgium 
in March 2007. Germany held the presidency of 
the Council in the first half of 2007 and therefore 
also chaired meetings of the European Council.

 ⸺ 72

19611965197419871993199920032009First European Summit'Empty chair crisis'Creation of the European CouncilSingle European ActMaastricht TreatyAmsterdam TreatyNice TreatyLisbon Treaty→  
Catherine Ashton, High 
Representative of the Union for 
Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, 
and François Hollande, President 
of France, at the European 
Council meeting in June 2013.

 ⸺ 73

THE EuropEan council19611965197419871993199920032009First European Summit'Empty chair crisis'Creation of the European CouncilSingle European ActMaastricht TreatyAmsterdam TreatyNice TreatyLisbon TreatyEuropean Council presidents

1 december 2009–30 november 2014: 
Herman Van Rompuy

1 december 2014–30 november 2019:  
Donald Tusk

Former Prime Minister of Belgium Herman 

Then Prime Minister of Poland Donald 

Van Rompuy presided over the creation 

Tusk became the second President in 

of the office and took the first actions in 

2014 and further developed the role. 

this role. In particular, he coordinated the 

With significant media attention on the 

EU’s response following the euro crisis.

migration crisis, the debt crisis, Brexit and 

‘Building trust is in my view 

perhaps the most important 

task of a European Council 

president. Building trust among 

leaders, among institutions, 

among countries: it is the basis 

for political decision-making.’

the destabilisation of Ukraine by Russia, he 

increased the visibility of the position.

‘It may sound banal but, when I am 

asked what my term has been about, 

I answer without hesitation: "unity" 

– a leitmotif, a task, almost my 
obsession, from the very beginning.’ 

⸺ Herman Van Rompuy

⸺ Donald Tusk

 ⸺ 74

1 december 2019–30 november 2024:  
Charles Michel

sInce 1 december 2024: 
AntÓnio Costa 

The third president was former Prime 

The current president is former Prime 

Minister of Belgium Charles Michel. The first 

Minister of Portugal António Costa. The 

day of his term of office, 1 December 2019, 

European Council elected him in June 2024.

coincided with the 10th anniversary of the 

entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty. During 

‘The truth is that Europe's unity in 

his tenure, he coordinated the European 

Council’s response to the COVID-19 crisis 

and to Russia’s military aggression against 

Ukraine. He also actively promoted a renewed 

EU–Africa partnership, while working to 

diversity is remarkable, rooted in 

the strength of our common and 

steadfast will. As President of the 

European Council, I will make it my 

strengthen the EU’s position in the world.

every day mission to build this unity 

and cherish our natural diversity.’

‘The last five years have been 

a truly seismic period in our 

⸺ António Costa

Union’s history, marked by a 

global pandemic and war on our 

continent. … Protecting our unity 

and building trust among leaders 

have been the twin lights guiding 

my every action as President.’

⸺ Charles Michel 

 ⸺ 75

THE EuropEan council1961
First European Summit

1965
'Empty chair crisis'

1974
Creation of the 
European Council

1987
Single European Act

1993

1999

Maastricht Treaty

Amsterdam Treaty

2003

Nice Treaty

2009

Lisbon Treaty

The European Council  
since the Lisbon Treaty

Since the Lisbon Treaty, the European Council 

has been involved in all the major decisions 

the EU has taken to address international and 

internal challenges in the fields of economic, 

financial and monetary affairs, asylum and 

immigration, enlargement, development 

cooperation and international relations.

strategic agenda

Most of the European Council’s work is 

planned in advance. Some of its work is 

unscheduled crisis management, however.

For planned work, the European Council 

adopts a ‘strategic agenda for the EU’, which 

highlights the main areas of work for a 5-year-

period. The strategic agenda is used to plan the 

work of the European Council and provides a 

basis for the work programmes of other 

EU institutions.

28

countries

The first strategic agenda was adopted in 

2014. The European Council agreed the 

agenda for 2024-2029 in June 2024.

The European Council’s unscheduled work 

involves crisis management of unexpected 

events that are so serious, or require such 

difficult responses, that the options available 

need to be discussed at the highest political 

level. Cases in point include the banking 

crisis (mainly 2010-2012), the 2015 migration 

crisis, Brexit, the COVID-19 pandemic and 

Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.

The European Council 
does not legislate

It is the Council of the 

European Union, together 

with the European Parliament, 
that performs this role.

 ⸺ 76

1961

1965

First European Summit

'Empty chair crisis'

1974

Creation of the 

European Council

1987

Single European Act

1993
Maastricht Treaty

1999
Amsterdam Treaty

2003
Nice Treaty

2009
Lisbon Treaty

The European Council is also responsible for 

which entered into force on 1 January 2013. 

setting strategic guidelines for the area of 
freedom, security and justice (27), covering issues 
such as border control, migration and asylum 

policy and police and judicial cooperation.

Among other things, it formalised the euro 

summit and the position of its president.

When appropriate, and at least once a 

year, leaders of Member States that are 

It also plays a formal role in the European 

not in the euro area but have ratified 

semester process – the EU’s annual exercise 

the fiscal compact also take part in euro 

to coordinate Member States’ economic, 

summits. As euro-area issues are politically 

fiscal, employment and social policies. 

and economically important for all EU 

The European Council endorses the final 

Member States, they are also discussed 

recommendations ensuing from this process.

regularly in European Council meetings.

euro summits

Euro summits bring together – at least 

twice a year – the heads of state or 

government of the 20 euro-area Member 

States, the euro summit president and the 

President of the European Commission.

They met in this format for the first time 

on 12 October 2008, in Paris, where 

they agreed on concerted action in 

response to the economic crisis.

In the margins of the European Council 

meeting in March 2012, 25 heads of state or 
government signed the fiscal compact (28), 

A euro summit is not a meeting of 

the Eurogroup. Euro summits are 

informal meetings of the heads of state 

or government of all the EU countries 

that use the euro, while the Eurogroup 

is an informal group comprising the 

finance ministers of the euro area.

Coordination of economic and fiscal 

policies mainly takes place in the 

Eurogroup. At euro summits the 
20 heads of state or government provide 

further policy guidance in areas beyond 
the remit of finance ministers.

 ⸺ 77

THE EuropEan council↑ Kaja Kallas, then Prime Minister of Estonia, answering questions from 
journalists, 9 February 2023. She has been High Representative of the Union 
for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy since 1 December 2024.

bilateral and 
multilateral meetings

Since the Lisbon Treaty has been in force, 

the European Council president also 

represents the EU externally when such 

representation is required at the level 
of heads of state or government (29). 

On issues related to the EU’s common 

foreign and security policy, the president 

does so alongside the high representative. 

At international summits, the European 

Council president usually participates 

alongside the Commision president.

International meetings where the European 

Council president represents the EU include 

bilateral and multilateral summits organised 

by the EU and international summits.

Bilateral summits are organised between 

the EU and its strategic partners. They 

are held on a regular basis, usually once a 

year, with countries such as Brazil, China, 

 ⸺ 78

↑ Herman Van Rompuy addressing the UN 
General Assembly, 25 September 2014.

Japan, South Africa and the United States. 

These summits are attended by the heads 

The summits take place alternately in 

of state or government of all EU Member 

Brussels and in the country concerned.

States and participating countries, 

Multilateral summits at the EU level include 

the Eastern Partnership summit, the EU–African 

plus the European Council president 

and the Commission president.

Union summit, the Asia–Europe meeting 

At other international summits, the EU 

and the meeting with the Community of 

either is a member of the forum concerned or 

Latin American and Caribbean States. In the 

is invited to take part as a key international 

past, when it was the EU’s turn to host such 

player, as in the case of the G7, G20 and 

summits, they were hosted by the Member 

United Nations General Assembly.

State holding the rotating presidency of the 

Council of the EU. Since 2014, however, they 

have as a rule been hosted and chaired by the 

president of the European Council in Brussels.

 ⸺ 79

THE EuropEan councilbrexit: the united 
kingdom leaves the eu

After 43 years of EU membership, the citizens of 

the United Kingdom voted to leave the 

European Union in a referendum held on 

23 June 2016.

Six days later, the European Council met for the 

first time as 27 heads of state or government 

(‘EU-27’), without the United Kingdom, to 

discuss the political and practical implications 

of Brexit.

A few months later, in March 2017, the United 

Kingdom formally notified the European 

Council of its intention to leave the EU. Article 

50 of the Treaty on European Union – which 

was introduced by the Lisbon Treaty and sets 

27

countries

↓ European Commission and European 
Council Presidents Ursula von der Leyen 
and Charles Michel, and Commission Chief 
Brexit Negotiator Michel Barnier, after 
signing the withdrawal agreement.

 ⸺ 80

‘We, the Heads of State or Government of 27 Member 

States, as well as the Presi dents of the European Council 

and the European Commission, deeply regret the 

outcome of the referendum in the UK but we respect 

the will expressed by a majority of the British people. 

[…] The outcome of the UK referendum creates a new 

situation for the European Union. We are determined 

to remain united and work in the framework of the EU 

to deal with the challenges of the 21st century and find 

solutions in the interest of our nations and peoples.’ 

Statement by the 27 other EU Member States after their informal 

meeting on 29 June 2016 in Brussels, Belgium

A few months later, in March 2017, the United 

Kingdom formally notified the European 

Council of its intention to leave the EU. Article 

50 of the Treaty on European Union – which 

was introduced by the Lisbon Treaty and sets 

‘We, the Heads of State or Government of 27 Member 

States, as well as the Presi dents of the European Council 

and the European Commission, deeply regret the 

outcome of the referendum in the UK but we respect 

the will expressed by a majority of the British people. 

[…] The outcome of the UK referendum creates a new 

situation for the European Union. We are determined 

to remain united and work in the framework of the EU 

to deal with the challenges of the 21st century and find 

solutions in the interest of our nations and peoples.’ 

Statement by the 27 other EU Member States after their informal 
meeting on 29 June 2016 in Brussels, Belgium

 ⸺ 81

THE EuropEan councilEuropean Council and Commission Presidents 

Charles Michel and Ursula von der Leyen 

signed the agreement in Brussels, it was taken 

to London by train, where it was signed by 

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Afterwards 

the agreement was brought back to Brussels, 

and it is now stored in the Council archives.

The withdrawal agreement entered into 

force at midnight (CET) on 31 January 

2020. The United Kingdom is therefore 

no longer an EU Member State.

The withdrawal agreement 

was taken to London by 

train to be signed by Boris 

Johnson, 24 January 2020.

out how a Member State can leave the EU – had 
now been triggered for the first time. From then 

The negotiations were very difficult. Not only 
did a withdrawal agreement need to be signed, 

until December 2019, EU leaders met without 

but future relations between the EU and the 

the UK Prime Minister in the ‘EU-27’ or ‘Article 

United Kingdom in all political and economic 

50’ format to discuss the process of the United 

fields had to be agreed. The negotiators had 

Kingdom’s withdrawal from the EU. Most EU 

to particularly take into account the need to 

summits in this period were split into two parts: 

avoid a ‘hard’ border on the island of Ireland.

one part with and one part without the UK 

Prime Minister.

Negotiations were finally concluded on 

23 December 2019, with a Coreper meeting 

The negotiations between the EU and the 

held on 24 and 26 December 2019 to rubber-

United Kingdom started in June 2017 and 

stamp the agreement. Both parties signed 

went on for 3 years, during which 15 such 

the withdrawal agreement on 24 January 

meetings in Article 50 format were held.

2020, although not in the same place. After 

 ⸺ 82

European Council and Commission Presidents 

Charles Michel and Ursula von der Leyen 

signed the agreement in Brussels, it was taken 

to London by train, where it was signed by 

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Afterwards 

the agreement was brought back to Brussels, 

and it is now stored in the Council archives.

The withdrawal agreement entered into 

force at midnight (CET) on 31 January 

2020. The United Kingdom is therefore 

no longer an EU Member State.

The withdrawal agreement 
was taken to London by 
train to be signed by Boris 
Johnson, 24 January 2020.

→  
UK Prime Minister Boris 
Johnson’s signature on the 
withdrawal agreement.

 ⸺ 83

THE EuropEan councilcrisis management

Since 2020, the European Council has 

had to manage several crises, including 

the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s 

war of aggression against Ukraine.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, ministers 

who usually meet in Brussels for their Council 

meetings had to stay in their home countries. 

The European Council also met mainly virtually, 

with heads of state or government holding 

their first online summit on 10 March 2020.

2020 was a record year for European 

summits, with 13 taking place. Besides the 

COVID-19 pandemic, the EU’s finances and 

climate policy also had to be discussed. 

At one of the few meetings held in person 

that year, it took EU leaders 5 days and 

4 nights (17-21 July 2020) to reach agreement 

on a massive post-COVID-19 recovery 

package and the EU’s long-term budget.

European summits are now held in person 

once again, but videoconferences are still used 

for consultations by smaller groups of leaders 

or representatives of the Member States.

 ⸺ 84

↓ European Council President Charles 
Michel answers journalists’ questions 
at a virtual press conference after the 
EU–G5 Sahel Summit on 28 April 2020

 ⸺ 85

THE EuropEan councilEU leaders met just hours after Russia launched 

One month later, an informal European summit 

its full-scale war of aggression against Ukraine 

took place in Versailles, France. Since 2015, 

on 24 February 2022, while fighting was taking 

it has been the norm for informal summits to 

place in the streets of Kyiv. A video link allowed 

be hosted by the country holding the rotating 

them to listen and give their support in those 

Council presidency. These informal gatherings 

crucial moments to Ukrainian President 

are an opportunity for leaders to have open 

Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who was speaking 

discussions without the pressure of taking 

from a bunker. This format was repeated 

decisions and issuing conclusions. However, 

regularly and helped build close cooperation 

the geopolitical shock of the full-scale invasion 

between the EU countries’ heads of state or 

of Ukraine 2 weeks earlier meant that the 

government and the Ukrainian president.

Versailles summit took on a new dimension. 

With discussions continuing into the early hours 

of the morning, heads of state or government 

↓ Joe Biden (left), then President of the United States, and 
Charles Michel (right), then President of the European Council, 
at the European summit on 24 March 2022. It is very rare for a 
leader of a non-EU country to attend a European summit.

 ⸺ 86

took the historic decision to welcome Ukraine 

The European Council granted candidate 

into the ‘European family’, opening the way for 

country status to Moldova and Ukraine 

the country’s potential accession to the EU.

in June 2022, and in December 2023 

They also took important decisions to 

The first accession conferences with the 

reduce strategic dependencies, phase 

two countries were held in June 2024.

decided to open accession negotiations. 

out the EU’s dependency on Russian gas 

and bolster its defence capabilities. The 

Versailles Declaration thus became a 

milestone in EU cooperation on defence.

↓ Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (seen here with 
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European 
Council President Charles Michel) attends a European Council 
meeting in person for the first time, 9 February 2023.

 ⸺ 87

THE EuropEan councilChronology of European summits

Since the 1960s, the heads of state or government have met regularly at 
various types of European summits – and since 1974 as the European Council. 
This chart gives an overview of all meetings up to the end of 2024.

Types of meeting:

165

Formal summits – Regular European 
Council meetings; the treaties provide 
for two every 6 months.

55

Informal summits – To allow timely exchanges 
of views on pressing topics, heads of state or 
government can meet informally, i.e. without 
taking formal decisions (in the form of conclusions). 
These meetings usually take place in the Member 
State holding the rotating Council presidency.

Rome Treaties

Creation of the European Council

1960

1965

1970

1975

1980

1985

1990

 ⸺ 88

39

30

Special summits – If exceptional circumstances 
require urgent decisions, special meetings can be 
held in addition to the regular formal meeting, 
where formal decisions can also be taken.

Euro summits – Euro summits bring together the 
heads of state or government of the 20 euro-area 
Member States, the euro summit president 
and the president of the Commission.

Maastricht Treaty

Lisbon Treaty

1995

2000

2005

2010

2015

2020

2024

 ⸺ 89

THE EuropEan council05. 

Annex

 ⸺ 90

In this section:

EU treaties – the main reforms

From 6 to 27 EU countries

Chronology of European summits

Evolution of qualified majority voting  

at the Council of the EU

 ⸺ 92

 ⸺ 96

 ⸺ 98

⸺ 114

 ⸺ 91

 
EU treaties – the main reforms

The treaties are the foundations on which the EU is built. They are 

negotiated by representatives of the governments of all EU Member 

States and must be agreed unanimously. All EU Member States 

must sign and ratify a treaty before it can enter into force.

treaty

date and place 
of signature

Paris Treaty – Treaty establishing  
the European Coal and Steel Community (30) 

18 April 1951  
in Paris, France

entry into 
force

23 July 1952  
(expired 23 
July 2002)

EDC Treaty – Treaty establishing the 
European Defence Community (30)

27 May 1952  
in Paris, France

Did not enter  
into force (31) 

EEC Treaty – Treaty establishing the 
European Economic Community

EAEC Treaty or Euratom Treaty – 
Treaty establishing the European 
Atomic Energy Community

Convention on certain institutions common to 
the European Communities: Assembly, Court 
of Justice, Economic and Social Committee

25 March 1957  
in Rome, Italy

1 January 1958

Convention on the Netherlands Antilles

13 November 1962  
in Brussels, Belgium

1 October 1964

 ⸺ 92

treaty

Merger Treaty – Treaty establishing a 
single Council and a single Commission 
of the European Communities

date and place 
of signature

8 April 1965  
in Brussels, Belgium

entry into 
force

1 July 1967

‘Own Resources’ Treaty – Treaty amending 
certain budgetary provisions of  the treaties

22 April 1970  
in Luxembourg, Luxembourg

1 January 1971

Treaty amending certain financial provisions 
of the Treaty establishing the European 
Economic Community and of the Treaty 
establishing a single Council and a single 
Commission of the European Communities

22 July 1975  
in Brussels, Belgium

1 June 1977

Treaty amending certain provisions of the Protocol 
on the Statute of the European Investment Bank

10 July 1975  
in Brussels, Belgium

1 October 1977

Treaty on Greenland (32) 

13 March 1984  
in Brussels, Belgium

1 January 1985

Single European Act (33) 

1 July 1987

• 17 February 1986 in 
Luxembourg, Luxembourg: 
Belgium, Germany, 
Ireland, Spain, France, 
Luxembourg, Netherlands, 
Portugal, United Kingdom

• 28 February 1986 in 
The Hague, Netherlands: 
Denmark, Greece, Italy

 ⸺ 93

treaty

date and place 
of signature

entry into 
force

Maastricht Treaty or TEU — Treaty 
on European Union (34) 

7 February 1992  
in Maastricht, Netherlands

1 November 
1993

Act amending the Protocol on the 
Statute of the European Investment Bank 
empowering the Board of Governors to 
establish a European Investment Fund

25 March 1993  
in Brussels, Belgium

1 May 1994

Treaty of Amsterdam

2 October 1997  
in Amsterdam, Netherlands

1 May 1999

Treaty of Nice

26 February 2001  
in Nice, France

1 February 2003

Treaty establishing a Consitution for Europe

29 October 2004  
in Rome, Italy

Did not enter  
into force

Treaty of Lisbon

13 December 2007  
in Lisbon, Portugal

1 December 
2009

TSCG Treaty — Treaty on Stability, 
Coordination and Governance in the 
Economic and Monetary Union (35) 

2 March 2012  
in Brussels, Belgium

1 January 2013

 ⸺ 94

↑ Interior of the Europa building in Brussels, Belgium.

 ⸺ 95

From 6 to 27 EU countries

the enlargement process

The original European Coal and Steel 

‘Any European state which 

Community was never meant to be an exclusive 

club for the six founding Member States. 

Article 98 of the ECSC Treaty stated that ‘any 

European state may request to accede’ to 

it. Despite the signing of new treaties and 

numerous amendments, the invitation for 

other European states to join the process 

of integration has always remained.

respects the values referred to 

in Article 2 and is committed to 

promoting them may apply to 

become a member of the Union.’

Article 49 of the Treaty on European Union

Entry into force

1973

1 Jan. 1973 

1986

1 Jan. 1986

Spain

Portugal

1981

1 Jan. 1981

Greece

1952

23 Jul. 1952  

Denmark

Ireland

 United Kingdom

Belgium

Germany

France

Italy

Luxembourg

Netherlands

 ⸺ 96

2013

2020
BrExit

1 July 2013

31 January 2020

Croatia

2007

1 Jan. 2007

2004

1 May 2004   

Bulgaria

Romania

Czechia

Estonia

Cyprus

Latvia

Lithuania

Hungary

Malta

Poland

Slovenia

Slovakia

1995

1 Jan. 1995

Austria

Finland

Sweden

 ⸺ 97

Chronology of European summits

Formal summit

Informal summit

Special summit

Euro summit

 Rome Treaties

Creation of the European Council

Maastricht Treaty

Lisbon Treaty

1960

1965

1970

1975

1980

1985

1990

1995

2000

2005

2010

2015

2020

2024

 ⸺ 98

1961-1974: from the rome treaties to the 
creation of the european council

date 

type of 
meeting

location

chair

1961

10-11 February

Formal

Paris, France

Charles de Gaulle

18 July

1967

29-30 May

1969

1-2 December

Formal

Formal

Formal

Bonn, Germany

Konrad Adenauer

Rome, Italy

Aldo Moro

The Hague, 
Netherlands

Piet de Jong

1972

19-20 October

Formal

Paris, France

Barend Biesheuvel

1973

14-15 December

Formal

Copenhagen, 
Denmark

Anker Jørgensen

1974

19 September

Informal dinner

Paris, France

Valéry Giscard d’Estaing

9-10 December

Formal

Paris, France

Valéry Giscard d’Estaing

 ⸺ 99

1975-1993: from the creation of 
the european council to the maastricht treaty

date (36)

type of 
meeting

location

chair

1975 10-11 March

Formal

Dublin, Ireland

Liam Cosgrave

16-17 July

Formal

Brussels, Belgium

1-2 December

Formal

Rome, Italy

Aldo Moro

Aldo Moro

1976 1-2 April 

Formal

Luxembourg, Luxembourg

Gaston Thorn

12-13 July 

Formal

Brussels, Belgium

Joop den Uyl

29-30 November

Formal

The Hague, Netherlands

Joop den Uyl

1977 25-26 March

Formal

Rome, Italy

James Callaghan

29-30 June 

Formal

London, United Kingdom

James Callaghan

5-6 December 

Formal

Brussels, Belgium

Leo Tindemans

1978 7-8 April

Formal

Copenhagen, Denmark

Anker Jørgensen

6-7 July

Formal

Bremen, Germany

Helmut Schmidt

4-5 December

Formal

Brussels, Belgium

Helmut Schmidt

1979 12-13 March

Formal

Paris, France

Valéry Giscard d’Estaing

21-22 June 

Formal

Strasbourg, France

Valéry Giscard d’Estaing

29-30 November

Formal

Dublin, Ireland

Jack Lynch

1980 27-28 April  

Formal

Luxembourg, Luxembourg

Francesco Cossiga

12-13 June 

Formal

Venice, Italy

Francesco Cossiga

1-2 December 

Formal

Luxembourg, Luxembourg

Pierre Werner

1981 23-24 March

Formal

Maastricht, Netherlands

Dries van Agt

29-30 June

Formal

Luxembourg, Luxembourg

Dries van Agt

26-27 November

Formal

London, United Kingdom

Margaret Thatcher

 ⸺ 100

date (36)

type of 
meeting

location

chair

1982 29-30 March

Formal 

Brussels, Belgium

Wilfried Martens

28-29 June

Formal

Brussels, Belgium

Wilfried Martens

3-4 December

Formal

Copenhagen, Denmark

Poul Schlüter

1983 21-22 March

Formal

Brussels, Belgium

Helmut Kohl

17-19 June

Formal

Stuttgart, Germany

Helmut Kohl

4-6 December

Formal

Athens, Greece

Andreas Papandreou

1984 19-20 March

Formal

Brussels, Belgium

François Mitterrand

25-26 June

Formal

Fontainebleau, France

François Mitterrand

3-4 December

Formal

Dublin, Ireland

Garret Fitzgerald

1985 29-30 March

Formal

Brussels, Belgium 

Bettino Craxi

28-29 June 

Formal

Milan, Italy

Bettino Craxi

2-3 December 

Formal

Luxembourg, Luxembourg

Jacques Santer

1986 26-27 June 

Formal

The Hague, Netherlands

Ruud Lubbers

5-6 December 

Formal

London, United Kingdom

Margaret Thatcher

1987 29-30 June 

Formal

Brussels, Belgium

Wilfried Martens

4-5 December 

Formal

Copenhagen, Denmark

Poul Schlüter

1988 11-12 February 

Formal

Brussels, Belgium

Helmut Kohl

27-28 June 

Formal

Hanover, Germany

Helmut Kohl

2-3 December 

Formal

Rhodes, Greece

Andreas Papandreou

1989 26-27 June 

Formal

Madrid, Spain

Felipe González

18 November 

Informal

Paris, France

François Mitterrand 

8-9 December 

Formal

Strasbourg, France

François Mitterrand

 ⸺ 101

date (36)

type of 
meeting

location

chair

1990 28 April 

Special

Dublin, Ireland

Charles Haughey 

25-26 June 

Formal

Dublin, Ireland

Charles Haughey

27-28 October 

Special

Rome, Italy

14-15 December

Formal

Rome, Italy

Giulio Andreotti

Giulio Andreotti

1991 8 April 

Informal

Luxembourg, Luxembourg

Jacques Santer

28-29 June 

Formal

Luxembourg, Luxembourg

Jacques Santer

9-10 December 

Formal

Maastricht, Netherlands

Ruud Lubbers

1992 26-27 June 

Formal

Lisbon, Portugal

Aníbal Cavaco Silva

16 October 

Special

Birmingham, United Kingdom

John Major 

11-12 December

Formal

Edinburgh, United Kingdom

John Major

↓ Journalists reporting from the European summit on 14 December 2023. 
For each European summit in Brussels, the General Secretariat of the Council 
provides workspace for journalists in the Justus Lipsius building.

 ⸺ 102

1993-2003: from the maastricht 
treaty to the nice treaty

The Maastricht Treaty, which entered into force in November 

1993, formalised the practice whereby the European Council was 

presided over by the head of state or government of the country 

holding the presidency of the Council of the European Union.

date 

(36)

type of 
meeting

location

council 
presidency

chair

1993 21-22 June 

Formal

Copenhagen, 
Denmark

Denmark

Poul Nyrup 
Rasmussen

29 October 

Special

10-11 December 

Formal

Brussels, 
Belgium

Brussels, 
Belgium

Belgium

Jean-Luc Dehaene 

Belgium

Jean-Luc Dehaene

1994 24-25 June 

Formal

Corfu, Greece

Greece 

Andreas Papandreou

15 July 

Special

Brussels, 
Belgium

Germany

Helmut Kohl 

9-10 December 

Formal

Essen, Germany

Germany

Helmut Kohl

1995 26-27 June 

Formal

Cannes, France

France

Jacques Chirac

22-23 September 

Informal

Mallorca, Spain

Spain

Felipe González 

15-16 December 

Formal

Madrid, Spain

Spain

Felipe González

1996 29 March 

Formal

Turin, Italy

Italy

Lamberto Dini

21-22 June 

Formal

Florence, Italy

Italy

Romano Prodi

5 October 

Special

Dublin, Irland

Ireland

John Bruton 

13-14 December 

Formal

Dublin, Ireland

Ireland

John Bruton

 ⸺ 103

date 

(36)

type of 
meeting

location

council 
presidency

chair

1997 23 May 

Informal

16-17 June 

Formal

20-21 November 

Special

12-13 December 

Formal

1998 1-3 May (37) 

Meeting of the 
Council at the 
level of heads 
of state or 
government

Noordwijk,  
Netherlands

Amsterdam,  
Netherlands

Luxembourg,  
Luxembourg

Luxembourg,  
Luxembourg

Netherlands

Wim Kok 

Netherlands

Wim Kok

Luxembourg

Jean-Claude 
Juncker 

Luxembourg

Jean-Claude Juncker

Brussels, 
Belgium 

United 
Kingdom

Tony Blair

15-16 June 

Formal

Cardiff, United 
Kingdom

United 
Kingdom

Tony Blair

24-25 October 

Informal

Pörtschach, 
Austria

Austria

Viktor Klima

11-12 December 

Formal

Vienna, Austria

Austria

Viktor Klima

1999 26 February 

Informal

Bonn, Germany

Germany

Gerhard Schröder 

24-25 March 

Special

Berlin, Germany

Germany

Gerhard Schröder

14 April 

Informal

3-4 June 

Formal

15-16 October 

Special

Brussels, 
Belgium 

Cologne, 
Germany

Tampere, 
Finland

Germany

Gerhard Schröder

Germany

Gerhard Schröder

Finland

 Paavo Lipponen

10-11 December 

Formal

Helsinki, Finland Finland

 Paavo Lipponen

 ⸺ 104

date 

(36)

type of 
meeting

location

council 
presidency

chair

2000 23-24 March 

Special

Lisbon, Portugal

Portugal

António Guterres 

19-20 June 

Formal

Santa Maria Da 
Feira, Portugal

Portugal

António Guterres

13-14 October 

Informal

Biarritz, France

France

Jacques Chirac 

7-9 December 

Formal

Nice, France

France

Jacques Chirac

2001 23-24 March 

Formal

15-16 June 

Formal

21 September 

Special

Stockholm,  
Sweden

Gothenburg,  
Sweden

Brussels, 
Belgium

Sweden

Göran Persson

Sweden

Göran Persson

Belgium

Guy Verhofstadt 

19 October 

Informal

Ghent, Belgium Belgium

Guy Verhofstadt 

14-15 December 

Formal

Brussels, Belgium Belgium

Guy Verhofstadt

2002 15-16 March 

Formal

Barcelona, 
Spain

Spain

José María Aznar

21-22 June 

Formal

Seville, Spain

Spain

José María Aznar

24-25 October 

Formal

12-13 December 

Formal

Brussels, 
Belgium 

Denmark

Copenhagen, 
Denmark

Denmark

Anders Fogh  
Rasmussen

Anders Fogh  
Rasmussen

2003 17 February 

Special

Brussels, 
Belgium 

Greece

Costas Simitis 

20-21 March 

Formal

Brussels, Belgium  Greece

Costas Simitis

 ⸺ 105

2003-2009: from the nice treaty to the lisbon treaty

The Nice Treaty designated Brussels, Belgium, as the venue for formal 

European summits. This has been applied since October 2003.

date 

(36)

type of 
meeting

location

council 
presidency

chair

2003 16 April 

Informal

19-20 June 

Formal

Athens, 
Greece

Thessaloniki, 
Greece

Greece

Costas Simitis

Greece

Costas Simitis

4 October 

Special

Rome, Italy

Italy

Silvio Berlusconi

16-17 October

Formal

12-13 December 

Formal

Brussels

Brussels

Italy

Italy

Silvio Berlusconi

Silvio Berlusconi

2004 25-26 March 

Formal

Brussels

Ireland

Bertie Ahern

17-18 June 

Formal

Brussels

Ireland

Bertie Ahern

Brussels

Ireland

Bertie Ahern

29 June 

Meeting of the 
Council at the 
level of heads 
of state or 
government (38) 

4-5 November 

Formal

Brussels

Netherlands

Jan Peter Balkenende

16-17 December 

Formal

Brussels

Netherlands

Jan Peter Balkenende

2005 22-23 March 

Formal

Brussels

Luxemburg

Jean-Claude Juncker

16-17 June 

Formal

Brussels

Luxemburg

Jean-Claude Juncker

27 October 

Informal

Hampton 
Court, United 
Kingdom

15-16 December 

Formal

Brussels

United 
Kingdom

United 
Kingdom

Tony Blair 

Tony Blair

 ⸺ 106

date 

(36)

type of 
meeting

location

council 
presidency

chair

2006 23-24 March 

Formal

Brussels

Austria

Wolfgang Schüssel

15-16 June 

Formal

Brussels

Austria

Wolfgang Schüssel

20 October 

Informal

Lahti, Finland

Finland

Matti Vanhanen 

14-15 December 

Formal

Brussels

Finland

Matti Vanhanen

2007 8-9 March 

Formal

Brussels

Germany

Angela Merkel

21-22 June 

Formal

Brussels

Germany

Angela Merkel

18-19 October 

Informal

Lisbon, 
Portugal

Portugal

José Sócrates 

14 December 

Formal

Brussels

Portugal

José Sócrates 

2008 13-14 March 

Formal

Brussels

Slovenia

Janez Janša

19-20 June 

Formal

Brussels

Slovenia

Janez Janša

1 September 

Special

Brussels

France

Nicolas Sarkozy 

12 October

Euro

Paris

France

Nicolas Sarkozy

15-16 October 

Formal

Brussels

France

Nicolas Sarkozy

7 November 

Informal

Brussels

France

Nicolas Sarkozy

11-12 December 

Formal

Brussels

France

Nicolas Sarkozy

2009 1 March 

Informal

Brussels

Czechia

Mirek Topolánek 

19-20 March 

Formal

Brussels

Czechia

Mirek Topolánek

18-19 June 

Formal

Brussels

Czechia

Jan Fischer

17 September 

Informal

Brussels

Sweden

Fredrik Reinfeldt 

29-30 October 

Formal

Brussels

Sweden

Fredrik Reinfeldt

19 November 

Informal

Brussels

Sweden

Fredrik Reinfeldt

10-11 December

Formal

Brussels

Sweden

Fredrik Reinfeldt

 ⸺ 107

since the 
lisbon treaty

With the Lisbon Treaty the European Council formally became an 

EU institution with a full-time president, who chairs its meetings. 

The meeting on 10 and 11 December 2009 was the last European 

Council meeting chaired by the Head of State or Government 

of the Member State holding the rotating Council presidency.

If no location is specified, the European 
summit took place in Brussels.

Herman Van Rompuy
Chair – European Council President

2010

Type of meeting

2011

2012

11 Feb.

Informal

4 Feb.

Formal

30 Jan.

Informal/Euro

25 Mar.

Euro

11 Mar.

Special/Euro

1-2 Mar.

Formal

25-26 Mar.

Formal

24-25 Mar.

Formal

2 Mar.

Euro

7 May

Euro

23-24 Jun.

Formal

23 May

Informal

17 Jun.

Formal

21 Jul.

Euro

28-29 Jun.

Formal/Euro

16 Sep.

Formal

23 Oct.

Formal

18-19 Oct.

Formal

28-29 Oct.

Formal

23/26 Oct.

Euro (39) 

22-23 Nov.

Special

16-17 Dec.

Formal

26 Oct.

Informal

13-14 Dec.

Formal

8-9 Dec.

Formal

9 Dec.

Euro

 ⸺ 108

Charles Michel

Donald Tusk

2013

2014

7-8 Feb.

Formal

6 Mar.

Special

14 Mar.

Euro

20-21 Mar.

Formal

14-15 Mar.

Formal

27 May

Informal

22 May

Formal

26-27 Jun.

Formal 
Ypres and Brussels, Belgium

27-28 Jun.

Formal

24-25 Oct.

Formal

19-20 Dec.

Formal

16 Jul.

30 Aug.

Special

Special

23-24 Oct.

Formal

24 Oct.

Euro

 ⸺ 109

20232019Herman Van Rompuy

Donald Tusk
Chair – European Council President

2014

2014
18 Dec.

2015
12 Feb.

Formal

Informal

19-20 Mar.

Formal

23 Apr.

Special

22 Jun.

Euro

25-26 Jun.

Formal

7 Jul.

12 Jul.

Euro

Euro

23 Sep.

Informal

15 Oct.

Formal

12 Nov.

29 Nov.

Informal 
Valletta, Malta

Meeting of the Council at the level 
of heads of state or government

17-18 Dec.

Formal

 ⸺ 110

2016
18-19 Feb.

7 March

Formal

Meeting of heads of state or 
government of the EU and Türkiye

17-18 Mar.

Special

28-29 Jun.

Formal (40) 

16 Sep.

Informal (EU-27) 
Bratislava, Slovakia

20-21 Oct.

Formal

15 Dec.

Formal

2017
3 Feb.  am Informal (40) 

Valletta, Malta

9-10 Mar.

Formal (40)

25 Mar.

60th anniversary of the Rome 
Treaties (EU-27) 
Rome, Italy

29 Apr.

Special (EU-27)

22-23 Jun.

Formal (40)

29 Sep.

Tallinn Digital Summit 
Tallinn, Estonia

19-20 Oct.

Formal (40)

17 Nov.

Informal 
Gothenburg, Sweden

14-15 Dec.

Formal (40)

15 Dec.

Euro

2010Charles Michel

2018

2019

23 Feb.

Informal (EU-27)

21-22 Mar.

Formal (40)

2019

10 Apr.

9 May

Special (EU-27)

Informal (EU-27) 
Sibiu, Romania

28 May

Informal dinner

20-21 Jun.

Formal (40)

21 Jun.

Euro

30 Jun.-2 Jul.

Special

17-18 Oct.

Formal (40)

22-23 Mar.

Formal (40)

23 Mar.

Euro

16 May

Informal dinner 
Sofia, Bulgaria

28-29 Jun.

Formal (40)

29 Jun.

Euro

19-20 Sep.

Informal 
Salzburg, Austria

17-18 Oct.

Formal (40)

18 Oct.

Euro

25 Nov.

Special (EU-27)

13-14 Dec.

Formal (40)

14 Dec.

Euro

 ⸺ 111

2023Herman Van Rompuy

Donald Tusk

2019

12-13 Dec.

Formal (40)

13 Dec. 

Euro

2020

20-21 Feb. 

Special

10 Mar.

17 Mar.

26 Mar.

23 Apr.

19 Jun.

Informal

Informal

Informal

Informal

Informal

17-21 Jul. 

Special

19 Aug.

Informal

1-2 Oct. 

Special

15-16 Oct. 

Formal

29 Oct.

19 Nov.

Informal

Informal

10-11 Dec.

Formal

11 Dec.

Euro

 ⸺ 112

2019

2021

21 Jan.

Informal

25-26 Feb.

Informal

25 Mar.

Informal/Euro

7-8 May

Informal 
Porto, Portugal

24-25 May

Special

24-25 Jun.

Formal

25 Jun.

Euro

5 Oct.

Informal 
Brdo pri Kranju, Slovenia

21-22 Oct.

Formal

16 Dec.

Formal/Euro

= Videoconference

20102014Charles Michel
Chair – European Council President

2022

17 Feb.

Informal

24 Feb.

Special

10-11 Mar.

Informal 
Versailles, France

24-25 Mar.

Formal

30-31 May

Special

23-24 Jun.

Formal

24 Jun.

Euro

7 Oct.

Informal 
Prague, Czechia

20-21 Oct.

Formal

15 Dec.

Formal

2023

9 Feb.

23 Mar.

24 Mar.

Special

Formal

Euro

29-30 Jun.

Formal

6 Oct.

Informal 
Granada, Spain

17 Oct.

Special

26-27 Oct.

Formal

27 Oct.

Euro

14-15 Dec.

Formal

2024

(first half of the year)

1 Feb.

Special

21-22 Mar.

Formal

22 March

Euro

17-18 Apr.

Special

17 Jun.

27 Jun.

Informal

Formal

2024

 ⸺ 113

Evolution of qualified majority voting 
at the Council of the EU

In most instances, the Council decides by 

‘qualified majority’, a voting system based on 

a majority of EU Member States representing 

a majority of the EU population. The exact 

conditions for achieving a qualified majority 

January 1973–december 1980

have changed several times over the years.

Legal basis: 

January 1958–december 1972

Legal basis: 

Treaty of Rome, Article 148.

Conditions for qualified majority:

 → 12 votes on a proposal by the Commission,

 → 12 votes cast by at least 4 Member 

States, in other cases.

4

4

4

Germany

France

Italy

2

2
1

Belgium

Netherlands

Luxembourg

Treaty of Accession of Denmark, Ireland 

and the United Kingdom, Article 14.

Conditions for qualified majority:

 → 41 votes on a proposal by the Commission,

 → 41 votes cast by at least 6 Member 

States, in other cases.

10

10

Germany

France

10

Italy

5
Belgium

5
Netherlands

10

United Kingdom 

3

3

Denmark

Ireland

2

Luxembourg

total: 17

total: 58

 ⸺ 114

January 1981–december 1985

Legal basis: 

Treaty of Accession of Greece, Article 14.

Conditions for qualified majority:

 → 45 votes on a proposal by the Commission,

 → 45 votes cast by at least 6 Member 

States, in other cases.

10

10

Germany

France

10

Italy

10

United Kingdom 

5

Belgium

5

Greece

5
Netherlands

3

3

Denmark

Ireland

2

Luxembourg

total: 63

 ⸺ 115

January 1986–december 1994

Legal basis: 

Treaty of Accession of Spain 

and Portugal, Article 14.

Conditions for qualified majority:

 → 54 votes on a proposal by the Commission,

 → 54 votes cast by at least 8 Member 

States, in other cases.

10

10

Germany

France

10

Italy

10

United Kingdom 

8

Spain

5

5

Belgium

Portugal

3

3

Denmark

Ireland

2

Luxembourg

5

Greece

5

Netherlands

total: 76

 ⸺ 116

January 1995–april 2004 

Legal basis: 

Treaty of Accession of Austria, 

Finland and Sweden, Article 15.

Conditions for qualified majority:

 → 64 votes on a proposal by the Commission,

 → 64 votes cast by at least 11 Member 

States, in other cases.

10

10

Germany

France

10

Italy

10

United Kingdom 

8

Spain

5
Belgium

5
Greece

5
Netherlands

5
Portugal

2

Luxembourg

4

4

Austria

Sweden

3

3

3

Denmark

Ireland

Finland

total: 87

 ⸺ 117

may–october 2004

Conditions for qualified majority:

Legal basis: 

Treaty of Accession of the Czech Republic, 

Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, 

Malta, Poland, Slovenia and Slovakia, Article 26.

 → 88 votes on a proposal by the Commission,

 → 88 votes cast by at least 11 Member 

States, in other cases.

10

10

Germany

France

10

10

Italy 

United Kingdom 

8

8

Spain

Poland

5

5

5

Belgium

Czechia

Greece

5

5

5

Hungary

Netherlands

Portugal

4
Austria

4
Sweden

2

2

2

Cyprus

Luxembourg

Malta

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

Denmark

Estonia

Ireland

Latvia

Lithuania

Slovenia

Slovakia

Finland

total: 124

 ⸺ 118

Member State

Votes

Percentage of the 
EU population (41) 

novembe r 2004–december 2006

Legal basis: 

Treaty of Accession of the Czech Republic, 

Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, 

Malta, Poland, Slovenia and Slovakia, Article 12.

Germany

France

Conditions for qualified majority:

United Kingdom

 → 232 votes cast by a majority of Member 

States on a proposal by the Commission,

 → 232 votes cast by at least two-thirds 

of Member States, in other cases.

If requested by a Member State: verification 

that Member States voting in favour represent 

at least 62 % of the EU population.

Italy

Spain

Poland 

Netherlands

Greece 

Portugal

Belgium 

Czechia

Hungary

Sweden

Austria

Denmark

Slovakia

Finland

Ireland

Lithuania

Latvia

Slovenia

Estonia

Cyprus

Luxembourg

Malta

29

29

29

29

27

27

13

12

12

12

12

12

10

10

7

7

7

7

7

4

4

4

4

4

3

total

threshold

321

232

17.88 %

13.51 %

13.01 %

12.67 %

9.32 %

8.27 %

3.53 %

2.40 %

2.28 %

2.26 %

2.21 %

2.18 %

1.95 %

1.77 %

1.17 %

1.16 %

1.13 %

0.89 %

0.74 %

0.71 %

0.43 %

0.29 %

0.16 %

0.09 %

0.08 %

100 %

62 %

 ⸺ 119

January 2007–June 2013 

Member State

Votes

Percentage of the 
EU population (42) 

Legal basis: 

January 2007–November 2009: Treaty of 

Accession of Bulgaria and Romania, Article 10.

December 2009–June 2013: 

Treaty of Lisbon, Protocol (36) on 

Transitional Provisions, Article 3.

Germany

France

United Kingdom

Italy

Spain

Poland 

Romania

Conditions for qualified majority:

Netherlands

 → 255 votes cast by a majority of Member 

States on a proposal by the Commission,

 → 255 votes cast by at least two-thirds 

of Member States, in other cases.

If requested by a Member State: verification 

that Member States voting in favour represent 
at least 62 % of the EU population.

Greece 

Portugal

Belgium

Czechia

Hungary

Sweden

Austria

Bulgaria

Denmark

Slovakia

Finland

Ireland

Lithuania

Latvia

Slovenia

Estonia

Cyprus

Luxembourg

Malta

29

29

29

29

27

27

14

13

12

12

12

12

12

10

10

10

7

7

7

7

7

4

4

4

4

4

3

16.25 %

12.98 %

12.51 %

12.08 %

9.17 %

7.65 %

4.24 %

3.32 %

2.94 %

2.19 %

2.09 %

2.09 %

1.98 %

1.88 %

1.68 %

1.45 %

1.11 %

1.07 %

1.07 %

0.91 %

0.60 %

0.41 %

0.41 %

0.27 %

0.17 %

0.10 %

0.08 %

total

threshold

345

255

100 %

62 %

 ⸺ 120

July 2013–october 2014

Member State

Votes

Percentage of the 
EU population (43) 

Legal basis: 

Treaty of Accession of Croatia, Article 20.

Conditions for qualified majority:

 → 260 votes cast by a majority of Member 

States on a proposal by the Commission,

 → 260 votes cast by at least two-thirds 

Germany

France

United Kingdom

Italy

Spain

Poland 

Romania

of Member States, in other cases.

Netherlands

If requested by a Member State: verification 

that Member States voting in favour represent 
at least 62 % of the EU population.

Greece 

Portugal

Belgium

Czechia

Hungary

Sweden

Austria

Bulgaria

Denmark

Slovakia

Finland

Ireland

Croatia

Lithuania

Latvia

Slovenia

Estonia

Cyprus

Luxembourg

Malta

29

29

29

29

27

27

14

13

12

12

12

12

12

10

10

10

7

7

7

7

7

7

4

4

4

4

4

3

16.12 %

12.87 %

12.40 %

11.97 %

9.09 %

7.58 %

4.20 %

3.29 %

2.22 %

2.17 %

2.07 %

2.07 %

1.96 %

1.87 %

1.66 %

1.44 %

1.10 %

1.06 %

1.06 %

0.90 %

0.86 %

0.59 %

0.40 %

0.40 %

0.26 %

0.17 %

0.10 %

0.08 %

total

threshold

352

260

100 %

62 %

 ⸺ 121

november 2014–present

On 1 November 2014, a new procedure 

for qualified majority voting, the double 

majority rule, was introduced.

Legal basis: 

Treaty of Lisbon, Article 16 of the Treaty 

on European Union (TEU) and Article 

238 of the Treaty on the Functioning 

of the European Union (TFEU).

Conditions for double majority:

For a proposal by the Commission 

or the high representative:

 → at least 55 % of Member States (44) 

vote in favour, and

 → those Member States represent at 
least 65 % of the EU population.

Any blocking minority must include at 

= 10 million people

least four Member States representing 
more than 35 % of the EU population. 

In other cases:

 → at least 72 % of Member States (45) 

vote in favour, and

 → those Member States represent at 
least 65 % of the EU population.

= 10 million people

 ⸺ 122

55 %

of Member States

65 %

of EU population

72 %

of Member States

65 %

of EU population

Qualified maJority for the eu-28  
(With the united kingdom)  
from november 2014 to January 2020

Member Sate

Population (x 1 000) (46) 

Percentage of the EU population

Germany

France

United Kingdom

Italy

Spain

Poland

Romania

Netherlands

Belgium

Greece

Czechia

Portugal

Sweden

Hungary

Austria

Bulgaria

Denmark

Finland

Slovakia

Ireland

Croatia

Lithuania

Slovenia

Latvia

Estonia

Cyprus

Luxembourg

Malta

EU-28

Threshold

82 719.0

67 221.9

66 238.0

61 166.1

46 659.3

37 976.7

19 523.6

17 321.1

11 413.1

10 738.9

10 493.1

10 291.0

10 157.0

9 778.4

8 802.0

7 050.0

5 774.9

5 501.9

5 443.1

4 830.4

4 105.5

2 808.9

2 066.9

1 934.4

1 319.1

864.2

600.1

475.7

513 274.6

333 628.5

16.12 % 

13.10 %

12.90 %

11.92 %

9.09 %

7.40 %

3.80 %

3.37 %

2.22 %

2.09 %

2.04 %

2.00 %

1.98 %

1.91 %

1.71 %

1.37 %

1.13 %

1.07 %

1.06 %

0.94 %

0.80 %

0.55 %

0.40 %

0.38 %

0.26 %

0.17 %

0.12 %

0.09 %

100  %

65  %

 ⸺ 123

Qualified maJority for the eu-27  
(Without the united kingdom)  
since february 2020

Member Sate

Population (x 1 000) (47) 

Percentage of the EU population

Germany

France

Italy

Spain

Poland

Romania

Netherlands

Belgium

Greece

Czechia

Sweden

Portugal

Hungary

Austria

Bulgaria

Denmark

Finland

Slovakia

Ireland

Croatia

Lithuania

Slovenia

Latvia

Estonia

Cyprus

Luxembourg

Malta

EU-27

Threshold

 ⸺ 124

83 203.3

67 842.6

59 607.2

47 432.8

37 654.2

19 038.1

17 734.0

11 631.1

10 603.8

10 545.5

10 440.0

10 352.0

9 689.0

8 967.5

6 838.9

5 864.7

5 541.2

5 434.7

5 060.0

3 862.3

2 806.0

2 107.2

1 875.8

1 331.8

904.7

643.6

521.0

447 533.1

290 896.5

18.59 %

15.16 %

13.32 %

10.60 %

8.41 %

4.25 %

3.96 %

2.60 %

2.37 %

2.36 %

2.33 %

2.31 %

2.17 %

2.00 %

1.53 %

1.31 %

1.24 %

1.21 %

1.13 %

0.86 %

0.63 %

0.47 %

0.42 %

0.30 %

0.20 %

0.14 %

0.12 %

100 %

65 %

↑ Windows of the Europa building in Brussels, made using 3 750 restored oak window frames from 
all the EU countries, representing EU values such as diversity and sustainable development.

 ⸺ 125

06. 

Endnotes

 ⸺ 126

 ⸺ 127

Endnotes

 (1)  Minutes of the inaugural meeting of the Councils 
of the EEC and the EAEC, held in Brussels on 
25 January 1958, Annex I, p. 4 (CM2 20/1958).

 (2)  Summary record of the restricted meeting 

of the Permanent Representatives 
Committee, held in Brussels on 10 November 
1960 (CM2 1960 RP/CRS/2, p. 4).

 (13)  Jeppe Tranholm-Mikkelsen ended his 

term of office 3 years early. Between 1 May 
2022 and 31 October 2022, his powers 
were delegated to the Director-General for 
Organisational Development and Services.

 (14)  Press release following the summit in 
Paris,  10 and 11 February 1961.

 (3)  Minutes of the extraordinary meeting of the 

 (15)  Press release following the summit 

Council of the EEC, held in Luxembourg on 17, 
18, 28 and 29 January 1966 (CM2 C/12/66).

 (4)  The role of the Eurogroup and the procedure 
for electing the Eurogroup president are 
set out in Protocol No 14 to the Lisbon 
Treaty (OJ C 306, 17.12.2007, p. 154).

 (5)  Council Decision (EU) 2022/1242 of 18 July 
2022 amending the Council’s Rules of 
Procedure (OJ L 190, 19.7.2022, p. 137).

 (6)  Minutes of the inaugural meeting of the Councils 
of the EEC and the EAEC, held in Brussels on 
25 January 1958 (CM2 20/1958, p. 10). The 
Rome Treaties had enshrined the possibility 
of establishing a committee composed of 
representatives of the Member States (Article 151 of 
the EEC Treaty and Article 121 of the EAEC Treaty).

 (7)  Minutes of the inaugural meeting of 

the Special Council of Ministers of the 
ECSC, held in Luxembourg from 8 to 10 
September 1952 (CM1 1/1952).

 (8)  On 17 November 1952, Christian Calmes, 

Secretary-General of the ECSC Special Council 
of Ministers, sent Konrad Adenauer, Chancellor 
and Foreign Minister of Germany, a report on 
the organisation of the resources and staff 
of the secretariat (CM1 1952–36, p. 2).

 (9)  New Article 151 of the Treaty on European 

Union (OJ C 191, 29.7.1992, p. 1).

 (10)  Presidency conclusions, Helsinki European 
summit, 10 and 11 December 1999. See 
Annex III – An Effective Council for an 
Enlarged Union: Guidelines for Reform 
and Operational Recommendations.

 (11)  Council Decision of 1 December 2009 

adopting the Council’s Rules of Procedure 
(OJ L 325, 11.12.2009, p. 35), Article 23(3).

 (12)  The decrease in posts between 2009 and 2011 
was linked to the creation of the European 
External Action Service and the transfer of posts 
from the General Secretariat to the service.

 ⸺ 128

in Bonn, 18 July 1961.

 (16)  Final communiqué following the summit of 1 and 

2 December 1969 in The Hague (CM2 1969-146).

 (17)  Final communiqué following the Paris 

summit of 9 and 10 December 1974.

 (18)  The ‘Dooge Committee’ was chaired by 
Irish Foreign Minister James Dooge and 
consisted of representatives of the 10 
Member States and the Commission.

 (19)  Article D of the Treaty on European 

Union (OJ C 191, 29.7.1992, p. 1).

 (20)  European Council conclusions, 29 March 1996.

 (21)  Special European summit on 23 and 

24 March 2000 in Lisbon, Portugal.

 (22)  European summit from 7 to 

10 December 2000 in Nice, France.

 (23)  Declaration No 22 annexed to the Final Act 
of the Nice Treaty. of 26 February 2001.

 (24)  Draft Treaty establishing a Constitution 

for Europe (OJ C 169, 18.7.2003, p. 1).

 (25)  European Council Decision of 1 December 
2009 adopting its Rules of Procedure 
(OJ L 315, 2.12.2009, p. 51).

 (26)  Article 15(6) of the Treaty on European Union.

 (27)  Article 68 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the 
European Union (OJ C 326, 26.10.2012, p. 47).

 (28)  Treaty on Stability, Coordination and Governance 

in the Economic and Monetary Union.

 (29)  Article 15 of the Treaty on European Union.

 (30)  The original versions of the treaty, the national 

instruments of ratification and the successive 
instruments of accession were deposited in 
the archives of the French government.

 (31)  On 30 August 1954, the French National 

Assembly failed to ratify the Treaty establishing 
the European Defence Community

 (32)  Greenland left the EEC on 1 February 1985.

 (43)  The percentages are based on population figures 
for the period from 1 January to 31 December 
2013. Council Decision 2013/37/EU of 14 
January 2013 amending the Council’s Rules 
of Procedure (OJ L 16, 19.1.2013, p. 16-17).

 (44)  At least 16 Member States out of 28 from 

1 November 2014 to 30 January 2020 and at least 
15 Member States out of 27 since 31 January 2020.

 (45)  At least 21 Member States out of 28 from 

1 November 2014 to 30 January 2020 and at least 
20 Member States out of 27 since 31 January 2020.

 (46)  Figures for the period from 1 January to 
31 December 2019. Council Decision (EU, 
Euratom) 2018/2076 of 20 December 2018 
amending the Council’s Rules of Procedure 
(OJ L 331, 28.12.2018, p. 218). The population 
figures and percentages are updated each 
year with a new Council Decision.

 (47)  Figures for the period from 1 January to 

31 December 2023. Council Decision (EU, Euratom) 
2022/2518 of 13 December 2022 amending the 
Council’s Rules of Procedure (OJ L 326, 21.12.2022, 
p. 23). The population figures and percentages are 
updated each year with a new council decision.

 (33)  Amended the ECSC Treaty, the EEC 
Treaty and the Euratom Treaty.

 (34)  Amended the EEC Treaty with a view to 

establishing the European Community; amended 
the ECSC Treaty and the Euratom Treaty.

 (35)  The fiscal compact (Title III of the TSCG) 
binds 23 Member States of the EU: the 20 
euro-area countries plus Bulgaria, Denmark 
and Romania, which have decided to opt in.

 (36)  The dates indicated are those officially 

recorded for each meeting. Proceedings have 
occasionally continued beyond the dates 
indicated when necessary for the heads of 
state or government to reach agreement.

 (37)  This was a meeting of the Council of the 

European Union at the level of heads of state or 
government, to take decisions on the Member 
States to enter stage three of the economic 
and monetary union. The appointment of 
Wim Duisenberg as the first President of the 
European Central Bank was also agreed.

 (38)  This meeting of the Council of the European 

Union at the level of heads of state or government 
was convened to nominate José Manuel 
Barroso as president-designate of the European 
Commission, and to renew the appointments 
of Javier Solana as Secretary-General of the 
Council and High Representative for Common 
Foreign and Security Policy and Pierre de Boissieu 
as Deputy Secretary-General of the Council.

 (39)  This was a single euro summit that 

took place in two phases.

 (40)  One part of this European summit was held in 
the Article 50 (EU-27) format, i.e. without the 
UK Prime Minister, to discuss the process of the 
United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the EU.

 (41)  The percentages are based on population figures 
for the period from 1 January to 31 December 
2006. Council Decision 2006/34/EC, Euratom 
of 23 January 2006 amending the Council’s 
Rules of Procedure (OJ L 22, 26.1.2006, p. 32).

 (42)  The percentages are based on population 

figures for the period from 1 January to 
31 December 2013. Council Decision 2013/37/
EU of 14 January 2013 amending the Council’s 
Rules of Procedure (OJ L 16, 19.1.2013, p. 16).

 ⸺ 129

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