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The European Council consists of the 27 Heads of State or Government of the EU Member States, who are voting members, together with the President of the European Council and the President of the European Commission, who have no vote (Article 15(2) Treaty on European Union). The chart shows the current members, the national office they hold, their most recent European political affiliation, and the year their membership began.

The special European Council meeting on 17-18 April will be an important step towards agreeing on the EU's political priorities for the 2024-2029 period. The three main priorities are likely to centre on 'a strong and secure Europe', 'a prosperous and competitive Europe' and 'a free and democratic Europe'. EU leaders are also expected to adopt lengthy conclusions related to competitiveness, notably addressing the single market and the capital markets union. They will also address the war in Ukraine ...

Russia's invasion of Ukraine, including the military build-up before the invasion began on 24 February, dominated every one of the nine meetings of the European Council in 2022. It affected most issues with which the European Council dealt during the year, ranging from energy policy to the broader economy, to security and defence, to enlargement, to external relations. The extent of the EU's humanitarian, economic, political (notably in the form of EU candidacy), and even military assistance to Ukraine ...

At the March European Council meeting, discussions focussed on the war in Ukraine, security and defence, the Middle East and enlargement. With a new sense of urgency, EU leaders reiterated their steadfast support for Ukraine, calling on the Council to rapidly adopt an eighth support package for Ukraine. Regarding security and defence, they agreed on the need to increase defence readiness and boost the defence industry, but did not agree on ways of promoting the defence sector. On the Middle East, ...

The European Council brings together the Heads of State or Government of the 27 EU Member States in regular meetings which seek to define the overall political direction and priorities of the European Union. This briefing offers a selection of key facts and figures about this institution, detailing its membership, role, activities, political composition and development over time.

The update of the EU's fiscal rules is almost complete – in time to be adopted ahead of the legislative break for the 2024 European elections. There has been a long-standing need to update the EU economic governance framework to make it better suited to the current and future challenges the EU is facing. The existing rules have formed over time since the 1992 Maastricht Treaty. The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020 saw the activation of the 'general escape clause' in the rules, giving ...

At the 21-22 March European Council meeting, discussions will focus on Ukraine, security and defence, the Middle East and enlargement. Concerning security and defence, EU leaders will consider the new European defence industrial strategy presented by the European Commission. On Ukraine, they are expected to reiterate their commitment to supporting the country, and welcome the establishment of a Ukraine Assistance Fund regarding military aid as well as the 13th package of sanctions against Russia. ...

The European Parliament, the Council and the European Commission proclaimed the European Pillar of Social Rights in 2017. Spelled out in 20 principles, the social pillar has since served as a compass towards building a stronger social Europe. In the related action plan, the Commission set out concrete initiatives and, after the Porto Social Summit of May 2021, EU lawmakers committed to headline targets for 2030 regarding employment, training, and poverty. Consequently, this legislative term has seen ...

'This is Europe' – an initiative proposed by the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola – consists of a series of debates with EU leaders to discuss their visions for the future of the European Union. The trilogy of resilience, competitiveness and security was at the centre of the vision of Europe that the Prime Minister of Finland, Petteri Orpo, shared with the European Parliament on 13 March 2024. Regarding competitiveness, he mentioned the single market, State aid, trade and economic ...

Thursday, 24 February 2022 was a turning point in European history. Overnight, Russia launched a brutal war of aggression on Ukraine, an independent European nation. Two years after the start of the war, its negative effects have been far-reaching. In addition to the harrowing human cost of the war, the economic impact has been devastating in Ukraine itself, but also substantial for the European Union and the world more widely. In the EU, the economic recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic has ...