Study Notes
EU Council of Ministers
- Level:
- AS, A-Level
- Board:
- AQA, Edexcel, OCR, IB
Last updated 22 Mar 2021
The EU Council of Ministers is an inter-governmental institution made up of Ministers, “Permanent Representatives” (i.e. Ambassadors to the EU) and Officials. The Chairmanship of the Council of Ministers (The Presidency) rotates between member states every 6 months.
It meets weekly in Brussels. All the Ministers responsible for a particular area of government meet to take key decisions, i.e. one week all the Agriculture Ministers will meet, the next week all the Finance Ministers, etc. They decide whether laws are adopted, usually by trying to reach a consensus, rather than by voting.
The Council of Ministers follows guidelines drawn up by the European Council and is prompted by Commission proposals. It is the main decision-making body of the EU.
You might also like
Democratic deficit (EU)
Study Notes
Resources to Help Understand the EU
11th September 2015
Sovereignty
Study Notes
Cameron on the UK's membership of the EU
12th November 2015
Spitzenkandidaten - I'm sorry … what?
13th November 2015
European Commission
Study Notes
European Court of Justice
Study Notes
European Council
Study Notes