PM congratulates H.E António Costa on being elected as President of the European Council
- June 29, 2024
- Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
- Category: DPN Topics
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PM congratulates H.E António Costa on being elected as President of the European Council
Sub: IR
Sec: Int groupings
President of EC:
- The President of the European Council is elected by its members through a qualified majority vote for a once-renewable term of two and a half years.
- Article 15 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU) identifies his duties. It is the Heads of State or Government who vote for this office.
European Council:
- The European Council is the EU institution that defines the general political direction and priorities of the European Union.
- Member:
- The members of the European Council are the heads of state or government of the 27 EU member states, the European Council President and the President of the European Commission.
- The European Council defines the EU’s overall political direction and priorities, traditionally by adopting conclusions. It does not negotiate or adopt EU laws.
- While the European Council has no legislative power, it is a strategic (and crisis-solving) body that provides the union with general political directions and priorities and acts as a collective presidency.
- The European Commission remains the sole initiator of legislation, but the European Council provides a guide to legislative policy.
- The meetings of the European Council, still commonly referred to as EU summits, are chaired by its president and take place at least twice every six months; usually in the Europa building in Brussels. Decisions of the European Council are taken by consensus, except where the Treaties provide otherwise.
Creation of the European Council:
- Following the Copenhagen summit in December 1973, which made provision for summits to be held whenever necessary, the Paris summit of December 1974, hosted by President Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, created the European Council.
- It was created to establish an informal forum for discussion between heads of state or government.
- Lisbon Treaty:
- The Treaty of Lisbon entered into force, reforming the structure of the EU and how it functions.
- It extends the use of qualified majority voting at the Council.
- The European Council becomes a fully-fledged institution with its own President.
- Previously, the European Council had been an informal body and the head of the European Council was an unofficial position.
- The role was held by the head of state or government of the member state holding the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU.