76-762: This is a list of meetings of the European Council (informally referred to as EU summits ); the meetings of the European Council , an institution of the European Union (EU) comprising heads of state or government of EU member states . They started in 1975 as tri-annual meetings. The number of meetings grew to minimum four per year between 1996 and 2007, and minimum six per year since 2008. From 2008 to 2019, an average of seven council meetings per year took place. A record number of meetings (13) were held during 2020 - although mostly as informal video conferences; as
152-427: A Permanent Representative via the " Antici Group " in an adjacent room. The group is composed of diplomats and assistants who convey information and requests. Interpreters are also required for meetings as members are permitted to speak in their own languages . As the composition is not precisely defined, some states which have a considerable division of executive power can find it difficult to decide who should attend
228-406: A dialogue with demonstrating organisations. The police, the local authority and the different demonstration coalitions had arranged a dialogue group where they planned and discussed the demonstrations to ensure they would be as peaceful as possible. The officers in command of the action stated that they were very pleased with how the police had served during the summit (an opinion which at the time
304-520: A different foreign policy response to the crisis. A similar situation arose in Romania between President Traian Băsescu and Prime Minister Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu in 2007–2008 and again in 2012 with Prime Minister Victor Ponta , who both opposed the president. A number of ad hoc meetings of heads of state or government of the member states of the euro area were held in 2010 and 2011 to discuss
380-575: A guide to legislative policy. The meetings of the European Council, still commonly referred to as EU summits , are chaired by its president and take place at least twice every six months; usually in the Europa building in Brussels. Decisions of the European Council are taken by consensus, except where the Treaties provide otherwise. The European Council officially gained the status of an EU institution after
456-443: A large number of complaints. One of the most noticed cases is the so-called information central, which was stormed by Nationella insatsstyrkan during the first day of the summit. A total of eight persons (five men, three women) were sentenced to long prison sentences after having sent out text messages urging people to go to Hvitfeldtska gymnasiet in connection with the police shutdown of the school. The police officer in charge for
532-677: A permanent President , as introduced by the Treaty of Lisbon . In February 2010 the exact location was the Solvay Library , subsequent meetings took place at the Justus Lipsius building and since March 2017 at the Europa Building . The European Council met in Cologne , Germany, on 3–4 June 1999 to consider issues after the Treaty of Amsterdam came into force. Romano Prodi presented his plan for
608-530: A short notice, with such change then being notified by the Council president through the issue of a revised calendar plan for the ordinary meetings within the semester in concern. If extra meetings are called outside the procedure of notification by an issued call letter for the upcoming semester in concern, meaning when they are called with short notice to be held within an ongoing semester, then they are referred to as "extraordinary meetings". The phrase "special meeting"
684-501: A third factor. The police planned and gathered their forces in anticipation of the meeting. Never before had this many heads of state met in Sweden, and thousands of police were to stand guard in Gothenburg to keep order during these three days of June 2001. The police had long prepared for disturbances and also had many different intelligence services directed at the groups participating in
760-574: A trial against a Gothenburg demonstrator. The riots left large areas of central Gothenburg demolished due to the violent protests of the demonstrators, as well as leaving many stores looted. The summit meeting of the European Union was notable because heads of states from the EU gathered in Gothenburg, and also because the American President George W. Bush visited Sweden for the first time on
836-692: Is also featured, which can be extended during summits with up to 600 seats in the atrium. It is linked, via means of two skyways and a service tunnel, to the Europa building. The building is located in the European Quarter at 175, rue de la Loi/Wetstraat , next to the Robert Schuman Roundabout and opposite the Berlaymont building (the headquarters of the European Commission ). To the west
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#1733350151988912-622: Is composed of the heads of state or of government of the EU member states , the President of the European Council , and the President of the European Commission . The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy also takes part in its meetings. Established as an informal summit in 1975, the European Council was formalised as an institution in 2009 upon the commencement of
988-503: Is directed by political bodies composed of member states ' representatives, and generally requires unanimous decisions. As of April 2019: Justus Lipsius building The Justus Lipsius building , located in the European Quarter of Brussels , Belgium, was the headquarters of the Council of the European Union from 1995, and the de facto home of the European Council from 2002 ( de jure as of 2004), until their relocation to
1064-422: Is synonymously used for an "extraordinary meeting". Extraordinary meetings can - just like the ordinary meetings - be held either in a formal or informal format. The list does not specify whether or not an extraordinary meeting was formal or informal, but this can be indirectly observed when checking the title of the published document summarizing the outcome of the meeting, as "conclusions" can only be published if
1140-450: Is that meetings are always called and organized to the extent found needed by the European Council president . The upcoming ordinary meetings are scheduled by the end of each semester, by the issuance of a call letter. In 2011-2020 meetings were scheduled and called for the third following semester (minimum one year in advance), but this changed to minimum 6 months in advance for 2021-2023, and since 2024 they are now only issued shortly before
1216-475: Is the Europa building. To the south the building borders the Place Jean Rey/Jean Reyplein and Leopold Park . The façade bordering the square is being considered for renovation to improve the building's appearance. Transport links to the building include Schuman station , which provides metro , as well as, regional , national and international rail services. The station is situated immediately to
1292-544: The Council of Ministers . In 1987, it was included in the treaties for the first time (the Single European Act ) and had a defined role for the first time in the Maastricht Treaty . At first only a minimum of two meetings per year were required, which resulted in an average of three meetings per year being held for the 1975–1995 period. Since 1996, the number of meetings were required to be minimum four per year. For
1368-645: The European Commission ) over the integration process, but petered out. The first influential summit held, after the departure of de Gaulle, was the Hague summit of 1969, which reached an agreement on the admittance of the United Kingdom into the Community and initiated foreign policy cooperation (the European Political Cooperation ) taking integration beyond economics. The summits were only formalised in
1444-570: The Maastricht Treaty (e.g. Article 109j TEC). In that case, what was politically part of a European Council meeting was legally a meeting of the Council of Ministers . When the European Council, already introduced into the treaties by the Single European Act, became an institution by virtue of the Treaty of Lisbon, this was no longer necessary, and the "Council [of the European Union] meeting in
1520-465: The Nice Treaty , to do so at such a time as the total membership of the EU surpassed 18 member states . Prior to this, summits of the European Council were based in the EU member state that held the rotating Presidency of the Council of the EU. A number of renovations were made to the building to accommodate the increased demands of both institutions and growing EU membership, including the conversion of
1596-509: The Schengen Agreement , and defending the public sector and the environment from becoming trade commodities and EMU. There was also a broad Iranian and a smaller anti-capitalist coalition as well as non-violent networks and Reclaim the Streets organising demonstrations and a street party. According to the police, more than 50,000 demonstrators gathered in Gothenburg during the three days of
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#17333501519881672-611: The Treaty of Lisbon in 2007, distinct from the Council of the European Union (Council of Ministers). Before that, the first summits of EU heads of state or government were held in February and July 1961 (in Paris and Bonn respectively). They were informal summits of the leaders of the European Community , and were started due to then- French President Charles de Gaulle 's resentment at the domination of supranational institutions (notably
1748-419: The Treaty of Lisbon . Its current president is Antonio Costa , former Prime Minister of Portugal . 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
1824-617: The eurozone member states , such meetings are not counted as European Councils. Neither are any of the Tripartite Social Summits , that were held bi-annually since May 2021 between the EU Council presidency , Council President , Commission President and the European social partners at top management level ( BusinessEurope , European Trade Union Confederation , SGI Europe , SMEunited and CEC European Managers). The current practice
1900-474: The treaty changes ". Since the institution is composed of national leaders, it gathers the executive power of the member states and has thus a great influence in high-profile policy areas as for example foreign policy . It also exercises powers of appointment, such as appointment of its own President , the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy , and the President of
1976-569: The CFSP). Adopted the declaration on Kosovo. In relation to the European Security and Defence Policy , a major element of the CFSP, the council declared that the EU "must have the capacity for autonomous action, backed up by credible military forces, the means to decide to use them, and a readiness to do so, in order to respond to international crises without prejudice to actions by NATO". The 2001 meeting of
2052-565: The Command in Gothenburg in June 2001 it is stated that a majority of the police who were on duty during the time felt they did not have enough resources to carry out their duties in a proper manner and that orders were confusing. Statistics: The total sum of the sentences following the riots during the EU summit was roughly 50 years in prison, which according to the journalist Erik Wijk is 12 times more than earlier riots. No police were convicted despite
2128-403: The Council of the EU, the European Council had previously followed the same Presidency, rotating between each member state. While the Council of the EU retains that system, the European Council established, with no change in powers, a system of appointing an individual (without them being a national leader) for a two-and-a-half-year term—which can be renewed for the same person only once. Following
2204-416: The EU leaders. It was marred by extensive demonstrations. The main protests were organised by three broad coalitions , a local coalition Bush Go home that opposed U.S. foreign policy , a Sweden-based coalition Network Gothenburg 2001 which opposed Swedish membership in the EU and EMU and an international coalition Gothenburg Action 2001 , a proponent of "another Europe", opponent of EU militarisation,
2280-570: The EU summit, Håkan Jaldung [ sv ] , was accused in a trial of preventing about 100 people at the Schillerska from leaving the place for several hours, but was found innocent. Göteborgsaktionen ("The Gothenburg Action") involved 87 organisations out of whom 33 were Swedish, 22 Danish, 9 Finnish, 5 Norwegian, 4 European and some other mainly from different Eastern European countries. Nätverket Göteborg ("The Gothenburg Network") involved over 20 organisations. The Laeken European Council
2356-412: The EU's policy agenda and has thus been considered to be the motor of European integration . Beyond the need to provide "impetus", the council has developed further roles: to "settle issues outstanding from discussions at a lower level", to lead in foreign policy — acting externally as a "collective Head of State ", "formal ratification of important documents" and "involvement in the negotiation of
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2432-600: The European Central Bank . It proposes, to the European Parliament , a candidate for President of the European Commission . Moreover, the European Council influences police and justice planning, the composition of the commission, matters relating to the organisation of the rotating Council presidency, the suspension of membership rights, and changing the voting systems through the Passerelle Clause . Although
2508-402: The European Council and the Council of the European Union utilised the Justus Lipsius building as their Brussels venue. In order to make room for additional meeting space a number of renovations were made, including the conversion of an underground carpark into additional press briefing rooms. However, in 2004 leaders decided the logistical problems created by the outdated facilities warranted
2584-582: The European Council had already existed before it gained the status as an institution of the European Union with the entering into force of the Treaty of Lisbon, but even after it had been mentioned in the treaties (since the Single European Act) it could only take political decisions, not formal legal acts. However, when necessary, the Heads of State or Government could also meet as the Council of Ministers and take formal decisions in that role. Sometimes, this
2660-413: The European Council has no direct legislative power, under the "emergency brake" procedure, a state outvoted in the Council of Ministers may refer contentious legislation to the European Council. However, the state may still be outvoted in the European Council. Hence with powers over the supranational executive of the EU, in addition to its other powers, the European Council has been described by some as
2736-506: The European Council was held in the Swedish city of Gothenburg , from 14 to 16 June. The EU Summit focused upon EU enlargement , sustainable development , economic growth and structural reform issues. The EU–US summit included a visit by U.S. president George W. Bush on 14 June. It was the first U.S. presidential visit to Sweden, and was intended as an opportunity to discuss differences on climate negotiations, WTO and Middle East issues with
2812-480: The European Parliament also attends to give an opening speech outlining the European Parliament 's position before talks begin. Additionally, the negotiations involve a large number of other people working behind the scenes. Most of those people, however, are not allowed to the conference room, except for two delegates per state to relay messages. At the push of a button members can also call for advice from
2888-465: The European level such as European political parties and political groups of the European Parliament . These alliances frequently hold pre-meetings with their European Council members, prior to their meetings. However, the members of the European Council represent their member states rather than political alliances, and decisions are generally made along national lines, though ideological alignment can colour political agreements and appointments (such as
2964-612: The French Presidency of the Council of the EU . During the construction period, the Council of the EU was housed in the Charlemagne building located across the street, since renovated and currently in use by the European Commission. From 2002, the European Council also utilised the Justus Lipsius building as its headquarters. This followed an advanced implementation of an agreement by European Union leaders, during ratification of
3040-661: The Rue Juste Lipse/Justus Lipsiusstraat, a street named in honour of Justus Lipsius , a Flemish philologist and humanist . The new structure took the name of the demolished street, which had linked the Rue de la Loi/Wetstraat to the Rue Belliard/Belliardstraat , to become the Justus Lipsius building . Blocs D and E of the former 1920s Résidence Palace were razed to make way for the construction. The official inauguration took place on 29 May 1995, under
3116-617: The Sovereign Debt crisis. It was agreed in October 2011 that they should meet regularly twice a year (with extra meetings if needed). This will normally be at the end of a European Council meeting and according to the same format (chaired by the President of the European Council and including the President of the Commission), but usually restricted to the (currently 20) heads of state or government of
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3192-407: The Treaty of Lisbon, this has been discontinued, as the size of the body had become somewhat large following successive accessions of new Member States to the Union. Meetings can also include other invitees, such as the President of the European Central Bank, as required. The Secretary-General of the Council attends, and is responsible for organisational matters, including minutes. The President of
3268-528: The Union's "supreme political authority". The European Council consists of the heads of state or government of the member states, alongside its own President and the Commission President (both non-voting). The meetings used to be regularly attended by the national foreign minister as well, and the Commission President likewise accompanied by another member of the commission. However, since
3344-551: The adjacent newly constructed Europa building at the beginning of 2017. The building, which has a gross surface area of 227,278 m (2,446,400 sq ft), still provides for additional meeting rooms, office space and press facilities for both institutions. It consists of 17 conference rooms with at least 10 interpretation booths each, 5 other meeting rooms and 2 rooms for official meals. It also provides 40,048 m (431,070 sq ft) of offices for both institutions' shared General Secretariat . An onsite press centre
3420-513: The anti-capitalist organisation, and it resulted in violent clashes with the police and damage of Gothenburg's main street Kungsportsavenyn . Later in the evening during the Reclaim the City demonstration, a police unit came under attack by demonstrators throwing projectiles. The police subsequently fired shots at the demonstrators. Three persons were injured by gunshots, one of whom was seriously injured. This
3496-416: The composition of the Heads of State or Government", was replaced in these instances by the European Council now taking formal legally binding decisions in these cases ( Article 15 of the Treaty on European Union ). The Treaty of Lisbon made the European Council a formal institution distinct from the (ordinary) Council of the EU, and created the present longer term and full-time presidency. As an outgrowth of
3572-477: The construction of a new purpose built seat able to cope with the nearly 6,000 meetings, working groups, and summits per year. This resulted in the Europa building , which opened its doors in 2017. The focal point of the new building, the distinctive multi-storey "lantern-shaped" structure in which the main meeting room is located, is utilised in both the European Council's and Council of the European Union's official logos. The EU command and control (C2) structure
3648-425: The day before the summit meeting. As a reaction to this, protesters from all over the world planned to gather in Gothenburg to demonstrate under different banners. The City of Gothenburg assisted the out-of-town protesters by providing living quarters in different schools around Gothenburg and a convergence center , first at Hvitfeldtska gymnasiet and later moved to Schillerska Gymnasiet. The political background to
3724-545: The decision by EU leaders to move towards a permanent seat for the European Council. Additionally, some scholars argue that the move, when coupled with the formalisation of the European Council in the Lisbon Treaty , represents an institutionalisation of an ad hoc EU organ that had its origins in Luxembourg compromise , with national leaders reasserting their dominance as the EU's "supreme political authority". Originally, both
3800-472: The extraordinary meeting had a formal format. The first seven summit meetings were held between 1961 and 1974, but this was before the formal establishment of the European Council. Some sources however consider them to be the informal seven first meetings of the European Council. [5] Since 2010, all formal (scheduled or extraordinary) European Council meetings have taken place in Brussels and been chaired by
3876-483: The first meeting of the specific semester in concern. The ordinary mettings can take form either as "scheduled ordinary meetings" (always resulting in a published document entitled "conclusions") or "informal ordinary meetings" (never resulting in a published document entitled "conclusions" - but instead often with a published document entitled "statement" or "declaration"). A called scheduled/informal ordinary upcoming meeting might occasionally be moved or cancelled within
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#17333501519883952-456: The future Commission's work and reform program. The Council called for an EU Charter of Fundamental Rights . The Council designated Javier Solana for the post of Secretary-General of the Council of the European Union (with Pierre de Boissieu as his deputy) and High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP). It decided on a common policy on Russia (first use of
4028-679: The high-profile summit as well as the Prime Minister (only two people from each country could attend the meetings). This was despite Stubb being Chair-in-Office of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe at the time which was heavily involved in the crisis. Problems also occurred in Poland where the President of Poland and the Prime Minister of Poland were of different parties and had
4104-421: The horrors of World War II, and poses a number of questions to be answered by the convention. European Council The European Council (informally EUCO ) is a collegiate body ( directorial system ) that defines the overall political direction and priorities of the European Union . The European Council is part of the executive of the European Union (EU), beside the European Commission . It
4180-618: The latest 2008–2014 period, this minimum was well exceeded, by an average of seven meetings being held per year. The seat of the Council was formalised in 2002, basing it in Brussels. Three types of European Councils exist: Informal, Scheduled and Extraordinary. While the informal meetings are also scheduled 1½ years in advance, they differ from the scheduled ordinary meetings by not ending with official Council conclusions , as they instead end by more broad political Statements on some cherry-picked policy matters. The extraordinary meetings always end with official Council conclusions but differ from
4256-462: The location. Following the growth of the EU to 25 member states, with the 2004 enlargement , all subsequent official summits of the European Council have been in Brussels, with the exception of punctuated ad hoc meetings, such as the 2017 informal European Council in Malta. The logistical, environmental, financial and security arrangements of hosting large summits are usually cited as the primary factors in
4332-498: The meeting frequency and format was changed this specific year by the COVID-19 pandemic . Since 2021, an average of eight council meetings per year took place ( see list below ). Since 2008, an annual average of two special Euro summits were also organized in addition – and often in parallel – to the EU summits . As the agenda of Euro summits is restricted solely to discuss issues for the eurozone and only invite political leaders of
4408-523: The meetings. While an MEP, Alexander Stubb argued that there was no need for the President of Finland to attend Council meetings with or instead of the Prime Minister of Finland (who was head of European foreign policy). In 2008, having become Finnish Foreign Minister , Stubb was forced out of the Finnish delegation to the emergency council meeting on the Georgian crisis because the President wanted to attend
4484-431: The member states of the eurozone. The President of the European Council is elected by its members through a qualified majority vote for a once-renewable term of two and a half years. Article 15 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU) identifies his duties. It is the Heads of State or Government who vote for this office. The President must report to the European Parliament after each European Council meeting. The post
4560-503: The night. Until 2002, the venue for European Council summits was the member state that held the rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union . However, European leaders agreed during ratification of the Nice Treaty to forego this arrangement at such a time as the total membership of the European Union surpassed 18 member states. An advanced implementation of this agreement occurred in 2002, with certain states agreeing to waive their right to host meetings, favouring Brussels as
4636-549: The north of the Justus Lipsius building. In 1985, in response to an initiative by Belgium, the Council of the EU appointed the Belgian Federal Government's Régie des Bâtiments as the contracting authority to construct a new building better suited to its needs. The foundation stone of the new building was laid in 1989. It is situated on land previously owned by the Belgian Government, a site formerly crossed by
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#17333501519884712-507: The period between 1974 and 1988. At the December summit in Paris in 1974, following a proposal from then-French president Valéry Giscard d'Estaing , it was agreed that more high-level, political input was needed following the "empty chair crisis" and economic problems. The inaugural European Council , as it became known, was held in Dublin on 10 and 11 March 1975 during Ireland's first Presidency of
4788-506: The planning of demonstrations. There were differing opinions amongst the police forces involved. The security police did not want the Hvitfeldtska gymnasiet to be used as they felt it was too close to the EU Summit while the Gothenburg police insisted on having the demonstrators there. American police tactics against protesters were in use such as a psycho-tactic unit that was supposed to have
4864-541: The president of the European Council). The charts below outline the number of leaders affiliated to each alliance and their total voting weight. The map indicates the political group of the member representing each individual country. The European Council is required by Article 15.3 TEU to meet at least twice every six months, but convenes more frequently in practice. Despite efforts to contain business, meetings typically last for at least two days, and run long into
4940-547: The protests was a conjuncture of three forces. EU-criticism and opposition to membership in the EU was stronger in Sweden than anywhere else in the union. Secondly a wave of globalisation protests against neoliberalism had gained momentum after the protests during the EU Summit in Amsterdam 1997 and the WTO meeting in Seattle 1999 . Anti-war and environmental concerns against the U.S. was
5016-424: The ratification of the treaty in December 2009, the European Council elected the then- Prime Minister of Belgium Herman Van Rompuy as its first permanent president; he resigned the prime ministerial position. The European Council is an official institution of the EU, described in the Lisbon Treaty as a body which " shall provide the Union with the necessary impetus for its development ". Essentially it defines
5092-491: The scheduled meetings by not being scheduled more than a year in advance, as for example in 2001 when the European Council gathered to lead the European Union's response to the 11 September attacks . Some meetings of the European Council—and, before the European Council was formalised, meetings of the heads of government—are seen by some as turning points in the history of the European Union . For example: As such,
5168-400: The summit, among them a smaller number with foreign nationality. The demonstrating organisations arranged many conferences, the biggest conference (besides, of course, the EU summit itself) being Fritt forum (Free Forum) which hosted 50 lectures and seminars and was funded by the city of Gothenburg, the Swedish justice department and Sweden's foreign ministry department among others. The summit
5244-445: Was created by the Treaty of Lisbon and was subject to a debate over its exact role. Prior to Lisbon, the Presidency rotated in accordance with the Presidency of the Council of the European Union . The role of that President-in-Office was in no sense (other than protocol) equivalent to an office of a head of state , merely a primus inter pares (first among equals) role among other European heads of government. The President-in-Office
5320-440: Was even compulsory, e.g. Article 214(2) of the Treaty establishing the European Community provided (before it was amended by the Treaty of Lisbon ) that ‘ the Council , meeting in the composition of Heads of State or Government and acting by a qualified majority, shall nominate the person it intends to appoint as President of the Commission ’ (emphasis added); the same rule applied in some monetary policy provisions introduced by
5396-428: Was guarded by approximately 2500 police officers. Besides a number of encounters and skirmishes there were a number of riots. The first one occurred on 14 June after the police had surrounded and enclosed the Hvitfeldtska gymnasiet where demonstrators had been invited by the city to stay during the summit. The second occurred in the morning of 15 June in conjunction with a demonstration of 2000 participants organised by
5472-562: Was held at the royal palace at Laeken , Belgium , on 14–15 December 2001. The Laeken European Council dealt with: The Laeken Declaration on the Future of Europe established the European Convention , presided over with former President of France, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing , as President of the convention, and former Italian Prime Minister Giuliano Amato and former Belgian Prime Minister Jean-Luc Dehaene as Vice-Presidents. The convention
5548-500: Was primarily responsible for preparing and chairing the Council meetings, and had no executive powers other than the task of representing the Union externally. Now the leader of the Council Presidency country can still act as president when the permanent president is absent. Almost all members of the European Council are members of a political party at the national level. Most of them are also members of political alliances at
5624-523: Was shared by the government). It was claimed that the police successfully had used advance information about demonstrators and undercover police officers among the demonstrators to among other things find out about the "secret" information central. According to the police, they acted completely in accordance with the Police Law. The Swedish Police Union strongly criticised the way the police actions had been led and managed. In its report "Chaos" – regarding
5700-408: Was tasked with drafting the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe , and would have about 60 members, drawn from national governments, national parliamentarians, the European Parliament , and the European Commission , and include representatives from the candidate countries. The declaration reviews the progress of European integration over the last fifty years, tracing it back to its origins in
5776-403: Was the first use of firearms against Swedish demonstrators since the Ådalen shootings in 1931. The riots were followed by prison sentences for 64 persons convicted of criminal behaviour. In total demonstrators were sent to prison for almost 50 years. As of 2006, no police officer has been convicted of wrongdoing during the summit. One officer was tried and convicted for committing perjury during
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