- Preface
- New to this edition
- Brexit Late News
- List of figures
- List of boxes
- List of tables
- List of contributors
- List of abbreviations
- How to use the online resources
- 1. Introduction
- Part 1 The Historical Context
- 2. The European Union: Establishment and Development
- 3. From the Constitutional Treaty to the Treaty of Lisbon and Beyond
- Part 2 Theories and Conceptual Approaches
- 4. Neo-functionalism
- 5. Intergovernmentalism
- 6. Theorizing the European Union after Integration Theory
- 7. Governance in the European Union
- 8. Europeanization
- 9. Democracy and Legitimacy in the European Union
- Part 3 Institutions and Actors
- 10. The European Commission
- 11. The European Council and the Council of the European Union
- 12. The European Parliament
- 13. The Court of Justice of the European Union
- 14. Interest Groups and the European Union
- 15. Citizens and Public Opinion in the European Union
- Part 4 Policies and Policy-making
- 16. Policy-making in the European Union
- 17. Trade and Development Policies
- 18. Enlargement
- 19. The European Union’s Foreign, Security, and Defence Policies
- 20. The Single Market
- 21. The European Union’s Social Dimension
- 22. The Area of Freedom, Security, and Justice
- 23. Economic and Monetary Union
- 24. The Common Agricultural Policy
- 25. Environmental Policy
- Part 5 Issues and Debates
- 26. The Euro Crisis and European Integration
- 27. Brexit
- 28. The Future of the EU
- Glossary
- References
- Appendix—Brexit supplement
- References
- Index
(p. 157) 11. The European Council and the Council of the European Union
- Chapter:
- (p. 157) 11. The European Council and the Council of the European Union
- Author(s):
Jeffrey Lewis
- DOI:
- 10.1093/hepl/9780198806530.003.0011
This chapter examines the components that constitute the Council system: the European Council and the Council of the EU (henceforth ‘the EU Council’ or simply ‘the Council’). Together, these institutions (the European Council and EU Council) form the part of the Union that unabashedly represents national interests in the European integration process. The EU Council is thus a site of intense negotiation, compromise-building, and at times acrimonious disagreement among the member states. Confusing to many academics and observers alike, the EU Council is not a single body, but rather a composite of national officials working at different levels of political seniority and policy specialization. From the heads of state and government, to the ministers, and all the way down the ladder to the expert-level fonctionnaires (officials), the EU Council and the European Council embed governments of the EU into a networked club of collective decision-making that deeply penetrates into the national capitals and domestic politics of the member states. In authority, scope, and procedural methods the Council system represents the most advanced, intensive forum of international cooperation between sovereign nation states in the modern world.
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- Preface
- New to this edition
- Brexit Late News
- List of figures
- List of boxes
- List of tables
- List of contributors
- List of abbreviations
- How to use the online resources
- 1. Introduction
- Part 1 The Historical Context
- 2. The European Union: Establishment and Development
- 3. From the Constitutional Treaty to the Treaty of Lisbon and Beyond
- Part 2 Theories and Conceptual Approaches
- 4. Neo-functionalism
- 5. Intergovernmentalism
- 6. Theorizing the European Union after Integration Theory
- 7. Governance in the European Union
- 8. Europeanization
- 9. Democracy and Legitimacy in the European Union
- Part 3 Institutions and Actors
- 10. The European Commission
- 11. The European Council and the Council of the European Union
- 12. The European Parliament
- 13. The Court of Justice of the European Union
- 14. Interest Groups and the European Union
- 15. Citizens and Public Opinion in the European Union
- Part 4 Policies and Policy-making
- 16. Policy-making in the European Union
- 17. Trade and Development Policies
- 18. Enlargement
- 19. The European Union’s Foreign, Security, and Defence Policies
- 20. The Single Market
- 21. The European Union’s Social Dimension
- 22. The Area of Freedom, Security, and Justice
- 23. Economic and Monetary Union
- 24. The Common Agricultural Policy
- 25. Environmental Policy
- Part 5 Issues and Debates
- 26. The Euro Crisis and European Integration
- 27. Brexit
- 28. The Future of the EU
- Glossary
- References
- Appendix—Brexit supplement
- References
- Index