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European Council and Council of the European Union
It is important to distinguish between the Council of the European Union and the European Council.
European Council
The European Council (Article 4, Treaty on European Union (TEU)) provides the Union with the necessary impetus for its development and defines the general political guidelines thereof.
Currently, the heads of state and government of the member states, together with the President of the European Commission, meet four times a year as the "European Council". They are supported by the foreign ministers and a member of the Commission. Unlike the Council of the European Union, the European Council is not a legislative body.
Council of the European Union
Together with the European Parliament (EP), the Council is the legislative body of the EU.
In order to fulfil its functions, the Council meets at different levels. There is a differentiation between the Council of Ministers, the Committee of Permanent Representatives (COREPER) und Council Working Groups.
Council of Ministers
The Council consists of a representative of each member state at ministerial level, authorised to commit the government of that member state (Article 203 of the Treaty establishing the European Community (TEC)). A state secretary or a permanent representative of a member state is entitled to deputize for the minister.
The meetings are held in different configurations dealing with different subjects (sectoral Councils). On the whole, there are nine different Council configurations:
- General Affairs and External Relations,
- Economic and Financial Affairs (ECOFIN),
- Justice and Home Affairs,
- Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs,
- Competitiveness (Internal Market, Industry and Research),
- Transport, Telecommunications and Energy,
- Agriculture and Fisheries,
- Environment,
- Education, Youth and Culture.
The Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban Development is represented in the Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council which normally meets four times a year.
Committee of Permanent Representatives (COREPER)
The COREPER is an auxiliary body preparing the work of the Council of Ministers. It examines the proposals tabled by the Commission from a technical and political point of view and represents the only level within the hierarchy that is not subdivided into groups responsible for individual subject matters.
The COREPER consists of the heads of the member states' permanent representations (ambassadors) and their deputies. They are appointed by their national governments and bound by instructions.
In Germany , the instructions are prepared by the ministries with lead responsibility, agreed with the departments concerned and given by the Federal Ministry of Finance (COREPER I) or the Federal Foreign Office (COREPER II).
The competences of the COREPER are subdivided into:
- COREPER I: Deputies of the ambassadors; prepares above all meetings of sectoral Councils (e.g. labour and social affairs, environment, transport).
- COREPER II: Ambassadors; prepares above all Council meetings with a predominantly political character (e.g. Council of Foreign Ministers, Council of Justice and Home Affairs Ministers, ECOFIN Council).
Council Working Groups
These working groups are subordinate bodies of the COREPER, each one of them covering a given subject matter. They are responsible for the technical evaluation of Commission proposals.
Meetings are attended by attachés from the permanent representations (e.g. transport attaché) who, in case of rather more difficult technical matters, are supported by civil servants from the competent ministries.
