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European Council and Council of the European Union
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The heads of state or government of the member states and the President of the European Commission meet twice a year in the European Council. They are supported by the foreign ministers of the member states and a member of the Commission.
"The European Council gives the Union the impulses necessary for its development and stipulates general political objectives for this development" (Art. 4 of the Common Provisions of the Treaty on the European Union). Thus, the special significance of the European Council lies in setting signals and coordination, mediation and solving difficult problems. The European Council is not an Institution of the European Union. It is the task of the European Institutions to implement the decisions of the European Council. The politically important conclusions of the meetings of the European Council can be found under.
The Council of the European Union – also known as Council of Ministers – consists of one representative of each member state on minister level. In the Council the member states pass legal regulations for the Union, set their political targets, coordinate their national policies, regulate conflicts. The Council forms the authority for the budget with the Parliament. It is responsible for the common foreign and security policies and the cooperation in criminal matters. The members of the Council are politically responsible towards their national parliaments.
The political representation of interests and lobby work can be carried out through events in the run-up to the summits and through meetings/statements in connection with the preparation of the summits. Contacts for this are in the first place the national governments. With regard to the cooperation in the Council of Ministers it is the national ministries responsible for the respective specialist questions.
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SERVICE
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THE INSTITUTIONS OF THE EU
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EUROPEAN UNION ONLINE
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COUNTRY FEATURES
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