The Council of the EU is also addressed informally as the Council. It functions as one of the two central decision-making bodies of the EU, the other being the European Parliament. It serves to negotiate, adopt and amend legislation together with the Parliament.
The Council of EU is made up of government ministers grouped together by policy area. They coordinate policies in the specific areas, develop standard foreign and security policies based on the European Council guidelines, conclude international agreements, and adopt the EU budget together with the EU Parliament.
The Council of the European Union, the European Council, and the Council of Europe are three different institutions and should not be confused. The European Council does not negotiate or adopt laws like the Council of EU and is made up of the heads of the state or government. The Council of Europe, on the other hand, is not an EU body at all!
There are no fixed members of the Council of the European Union. Instead, the Council meets in 10 different configurations, each corresponding to the policy area being discussed. So, if decisions on financial affairs are to be made, the economic and foreign ministers come together. This holds true for other matters as well.
The Foreign Affairs Council is the only Council with a permanent chairperson. All other Council meetings are chaired by the relevant minister of the country holding the rotating EU presidency. The presidency of the Council rotates within the members of the Council every six months.
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