European Council Flashcards Preview

European Union > European Council > Flashcards

Flashcards in European Council Deck (16)
Loading flashcards...
1
Q

Role of the European Council

A

Defines the general political direction and priorities of the European Union

2
Q

Members of the European Council

A

Heads of state or government of EU countries, European Council President, European Commission President

3
Q

President of the European Council

A

Donald Tusk

4
Q

When was the European Council established?

A

1974 - informal forum
1992 - formal status
2009 - official EU institution

5
Q

Where is the European Council located

A

Brussels, Belgium

6
Q

The European Council brings together

A

EU leaders to set the EU’s political agenda.

7
Q

The European Council represents

A

the highest level of political cooperation between EU countries.

8
Q

One of the EU’s 7 official institutions, the Council takes the form of

A

summit meetings between EU leaders, chaired by a permanent president.

9
Q

What does the European Council do?

A

Decides on the EU’s overall direction and political priorities – but does not pass laws.
Deals with complex or sensitive issues that cannot be resolved at lower levels of intergovernmental cooperation
Sets the EU’s common foreign & security policy, taking into account EU strategic interests and defence implications
Nominates and appoints candidates to certain high profile EU level roles, such as the ECB and the Commission

10
Q

On each issue, the European council can

A

ask the European Commission to make a proposal to address it.
pass it on to the Council of the EU to deal with

11
Q

The European Council is made up of the

A

Heads of state or government of all EU countries, the European Council president, and the European Commission president

12
Q

The European Council is convened and chaired by

A

its President, who is elected by the European Council itself for a once-renewable two-and-a-half-year term.

13
Q

The president represents

A

The EU to the outside world

14
Q

The European council meets

A

4 times a year

15
Q

The president of the council has the power to

A

Convene additional meetings to address urgent issues

16
Q

It generally decides issues by consensus

A

but by unanimity or qualified majority in some cases. Only the heads of state/government can vote.