place

Council of the European Union

Council of the European UnionInfobox legislature with background colorInstitutions of the European UnionIntergovernmental organizationsInternational organisations based in Belgium
Organisations based in BrusselsPolitics of the European UnionSupranational legislaturesUse British English from May 2013
Council of the EU and European Council
Council of the EU and European Council

The Council of the European Union, often referred to in the treaties and other official documents simply as the Council, and informally known as the Council of Ministers, is the third of the seven Institutions of the European Union (EU) as listed in the Treaty on European Union. It is one of three legislative bodies and together with the European Parliament serves to amend and approve or veto the proposals of the European Commission, which holds legislative initiative.The Council of the European Union and the European Council are the only EU institutions that are explicitly intergovernmental, that is, forums whose attendees express and represent the position of their member state's executive, be they ambassadors, ministers or heads of state/government. The Council meets in 10 different configurations of 27 national ministers (one per state). The precise membership of these configurations varies according to the topic under consideration; for example, when discussing agricultural policy the Council is formed by the 27 national ministers whose portfolio includes this policy area (with the related European Commissioners contributing but not voting).

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Council of the European Union (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Council of the European Union
Rue de la Loi - Wetstraat, City of Brussels

Geographical coordinates (GPS) Address Nearby Places
placeShow on map

Wikipedia: Council of the European UnionContinue reading on Wikipedia

Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 50.8425 ° E 4.3808305555556 °
placeShow on map

Address

Europa

Rue de la Loi - Wetstraat 155
1000 City of Brussels (Brussels)
Belgium
mapOpen on Google Maps

Council of the EU and European Council
Council of the EU and European Council
Share experience

Nearby Places

United Nations Regional Information Centre for Western Europe
United Nations Regional Information Centre for Western Europe

The United Nations Regional Information Centre (UNRIC) is one of 63 United Nations Information Centres (UNICs) around the world. Their main task is to spread the UN message, raise awareness and create understanding of issues relating to the United Nations' objectives. UNRIC serves the Western European Region by providing and disseminating UN information material, UN reports and documents, press kits, posters, fact sheets and brochures. The intention is to reach out to all segments of society and therefore the UNRIC Reference Library is open to all inquiries about the UN via telephone, e-mail and post. UN documents and publications are available in English, French and Spanish, but some material is also available in other European languages. UNRIC maintains websites in 13 languages of the region: Danish, English, French, Finnish, German, Greek, Icelandic, Italian, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese, Swedish and Spanish. Each version presents basic information on the UN, its structure, goals, main documents, affiliated agencies, employment/internship opportunities and main areas of work. Moreover, it gives information about the most important UN related events, activities and international observances, as well as the programs of UNRIC and the UN family in the region. UNRIC organizes information projects or campaigns with key partners, including governments, the media, NGOs, educational institutions and local authorities.

European Commission
European Commission

The European Commission (EC) is the executive branch of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "Commissioners") headed by a President. It includes an administrative body of about 32,000 European civil servants. The Commission is divided into departments known as Directorates-General (DGs) that can be likened to departments or ministries each headed by a Director-General who is responsible to a Commissioner. There is one member per member state, but members are bound by their oath of office to represent the general interest of the EU as a whole rather than their home state. The Commission President (currently Ursula von der Leyen) is proposed by the European Council (the 27 heads of state) and elected by the European Parliament. The Council of the European Union (informally known as the Council of Ministers) then nominates the other members of the Commission in agreement with the nominated President, and the 27 members as a team are then subject to a vote of approval by the European Parliament. The current Commission is the Von der Leyen Commission, which took office in December 2019, following the European Parliament elections in May of the same year The governmental powers of the Commission have been such that some, including former Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt, have suggested changing its name to the "European Government", calling the present name of the Commission "ridiculous", likening it to a misnomer.