European Union

Written by Aidan Christie and Eulalia Claros,

The Council of the European Union – often referred to as the Council of Ministers, or simply the Council – forms one part of the legislature and the budgetary authority of the Union. The Council and European Parliament together adopt much of the EU’s legislation and the Union’s annual budget, on the basis of proposals put forward by the executive, the European Commission. The Council also takes decisions on specific areas of EU action, in particular in Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), where it seeks to coordinate Member States’ positions, and concludes – subject to the consent of the Parliament – international agreements, usually negotiated by the Commission on the basis of a mandate from the Council.

The Council of the EU is distinct from the European Council, which is now a separate institution made up of the Heads of State or Government of the Member States. The European Council is responsible for defining the general political directions and priorities for the Union, but does not have formal legislative functions.

Read the complete briefing on ‘Council of the European Union: Facts and Figures‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

France's current discrepancy with Germany does not call into question their relationship, said Amélie de Montchalin, who also stressed that own resources are key for the European budget, while the member states are reluctant to increase their contributions and will have to compromise. EURACTIV France reports.

EU officials can expect five more years of needling investigations at the hands of their ombudsman, "energetic" Irish woman Emily O'Reilly.

Pieter Timmermans, CEO of the Federation of Belgian Enterprises, has pleaded for an interim government that would work on a few core issues like employment, pensions, climate, energy and mobility. This government should be limited in ministers, time and focus. Former deputy prime minister and current MEP Kris Peeters made a similar proposal this week. Belgian political parties have been trying to form a government since the 26 May election.

On Thursday, Russia and Ukraine reached a deal to continue the transit of Russian gas through Ukrainian territory, Deutsche Welle writes. European Commission vice president Maros Sefcovic announced the news, saying "after these very intensive talks I am very glad to say that we reached an agreement in principle on all key elements," adding that "very good and very positive news for Europe, for Russia, for Ukraine."

The Capitals brings you the latest news from across Europe, through on-the-ground reporting by EURACTIV’s media network. You can subscribe to the newsletter here. *** MESSAGE FROM EURACTIV EDITORIAL TEAM:“This is the last newsletter of The Capitals for 2019. The...

Sea Watch 3, a German ship that rescued migrants in the Mediterranean sea, has won an appeal in a Sicilian court after a five-month detainment in a port on the Italian island, Deutsche Welle reports. The charity organisation celebrated its victory and announced it would resume its rescue missions. The two other rescue ships, Alex and the Mare Jonio, remain detained in the Sicilian port of Licata.

A Belgian court has found Fabien Neretse guilty of genocide and war crimes, De Standaard reports. The 71-year old agricultural scientist set up a militia to kill Tutsi Rwandans during the genocide of 1994 and was found guilty of the killing of 11 people. Neretse is the first Rwandan to be convicted in Belgium for the Rwandan genocide where up to one million people were killed.

In November, the EU gave its final approval to a Czech proposal allowing member states that deal with carousel tax fraud to apply a generalised reversal of VAT liability. This is something Czech PM Andrej Babiš fought for almost five...

With "A Wake Up Call On The Environment. A Student Manifesto" French students want to force companies to become more ecological. If not, they say they will not work for them.

After thousands of Poles protested on Wednesday against reforms undermining judicial independence and freedom of expression of judges, the relevant bill was debated in parliament. “It’s a response to the coup and anarchy of a handful of judges at the...

It is tempting to shun the issue of the misuse of EU funds altogether, as it might play into the hands of eurosceptics. But keeping silent pre-empts the healthy debate that is so vital to a genuine European democracy.

Andrew Bailey is the front-runner to become the new governor of the Bank of England, a decision which will be announced on Friday. Bailey is currently chief executive of the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority, and will take over from Mark...

The Vice-President of Catalonia and national coordinator of the separatist ERC party (Republican Left of Catalonia), Pere Aragonès, demanded on Thursday the immediate release of jailed ERC politician Oriol Junqueras, whose parliamentary immunity was recognised by the European Court of...

Markus Söder (CSU), minister president of Bavaria, was faced with an NGO’s demand to imprison him over his refusal to enact environmental legislation. In 2012, he was ordered to enact the legislation in question by a German administrative court in...

In its report on cyber protection and security, the Italian parliamentary security committee (COPASIR) has acknowledged that concerns about Chinese penetration in Italy’s 5G communications network are “largely well-founded.” For the committee, lawmakers should consider excluding Chinese tech giants Huawei...

Here are the main points from Queen Elizabeth II's speech in parliament on Thursday  (19 December) setting out the British government's legislative programme:

Uzbekistan votes Sunday (22 December) in the former Soviet republic's first parliamentary elections since a new leader ushered in an era of reform after years of isolation and stagnation, yet voters' choices remain highly restricted.

EURACTIV's EU Tweets of the Year!

Sweeping new fuel rules aiming to cut pollution belching from ships and save lives are now just a couple of weeks away but with no central policing agency and several countries still not signed up to them, compliance is a...