European Parliamentary Research Service Blog
Ralf Drachenberg
The European Council in 2016: Overview of decisions and discussions
Written by Suzana Elena Anghel Gavrilescu, Izabela Cristina Bacian, Ralf Drachenberg and Susanna Tenhunen, The European Council held five formal meetings in 2016. The analysis of the conclusions of the debates shows that it dedicated 50 % of its attention to migration. The two other main topics were foreign and security policy; and economic governance, competitiveness, … Continue reading
Outcome of European Council meeting of 22-23 June 2017
Written by Ralf Drachenberg and Suzana Anghel, The main results of the European Council meeting of 22-23 June 2017 include the ‘historic step’ of agreeing to set up ‘permanent structured cooperation’ in European defence, the commitment to implement the Paris Agreement on climate change in all its aspects, and the extension of sanctions against Russia. … Continue reading
Outcome of the special European Council (Article 50) meeting of 29 April 2017
Written by Ralf Drachenberg, At their first formal meeting as the European Council of the EU-27 on 29 April 2017, EU leaders took a united stance on the main priorities of the EU-27 for the Article 50 negotiations, namely to guarantee EU and UK citizens’ rights, settle the UK’s financial obligations to the EU, and … Continue reading
From Bratislava to Rome… and Beyond
Written by Ralf Drachenberg, The Rome Declaration of 25 March 2017, issued by the Heads of State or Government of the EU-27 on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Treaties of Rome, marked the end of a process that began following the United Kingdom referendum on EU membership on 23 June 2016. The point of departure for … Continue reading
From Bratislava to Rome
Written by Ralf Drachenberg, On the 60th anniversary of the Rome Treaties, the EU leaders’ Rome Declaration of 25 March 2017 proclaimed that ‘the European Union is facing unprecedented challenges, both global and domestic: regional conflicts, terrorism, growing migratory pressures, protectionism and social and economic inequalities. Together, we are determined to address the challenges of a rapidly … Continue reading
Outcome of European Council meeting of 9 March 2017 and of informal meeting of the EU27 of 10 March 2017
Written by Suzana Anghel and Ralf Drachenberg, After re-electing Donald Tusk as its President, the European Council meeting of 9 March 2017 discussed the economic situation in Europe, progress on measures regarding migration, internal and external security, and external relations. In his first speech to the European Council, the recently- elected President of the European … Continue reading
Outlook for the 9 March 2017 European Council, and the Informal meeting of the 27 Heads of State or Government on 10 March 2017
Written by Susanna Tenhunen and Ralf Drachenberg, At their 9-10 March 2017 meeting, EU leaders will focus on the economic situation in Europe, including the economic and social priorities of the 2017 European Semester, trade policy and delivery of the different single market strategies. The European Council will also discuss migration, security and defence, and … Continue reading
Outcome of the informal European Council and informal meeting of 27 Heads of State or Government on 3 February 2017
Written by Ralf Drachenberg, The Maltese capital, Valletta, hosted an informal European Council meeting, as well as an informal meeting of EU-27 leaders on 3 February 2017. The first meeting concentrated on migration on the Central Mediterranean route, while the second looked at the future of the EU and preparations for the approaching 60th anniversary … Continue reading
Outlook for the informal European Council and informal meeting of 27 Heads of State or Government on 3 February 2017
Written by Ralf Drachenberg, The informal summit taking place on 3 February 2017 in Valletta, Malta, will take place in two parts: an informal European Council meeting in which all EU Member States will participate, followed by an informal meeting of the 27 Heads of State or Government without the UK. The informal European Council … Continue reading
Outcome of the European Council of 15 December 2016
Written by Ralf Drachenberg and Suzana Anghel, As flagged up in the EPRS Outlook for the European Council on 15 December 2016, this European Council meeting concentrated on migration and internal and external security, as well as economic and social development. As events unfolded, EU leaders discussed external relations at greater length, in particular Syria, and … Continue reading
Outlook for the 15 December 2016 European Council
Written by Ralf Drachenberg and Susanna Tenhunen, At their 15 December 2016 European Council meeting, EU Leaders will mainly discuss migration, and internal and external security, as well as economic and social development. Particular attention will be paid to assessing the implementation of previous European Council conclusions. For the first time, the European Council will … Continue reading
Outcome of the European Council of 20-21 October 2016
Written by Ralf Drachenberg and Suzana Anghel, Migration was the main topic at the European Council of 20-21 October 2016, and featured most prominently in its conclusions. Other topics discussed were global and economic issues, external relations and trade issues, in particular the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement with Canada. This was the first formal … Continue reading
Outlook for the European Council of 20-21 October 2016
Written by Ralf Drachenberg and Izabela Bacian, The 20-21 October 2016 European Council meeting will focus primarily on migration and trade issues, but will also address global economic issues and external relations. On migration, EU leaders will most likely concentrate on progress on the Partnership Framework of cooperation with countries of origin or transit and … Continue reading
The choice of the President of the European Council: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Although it does not exercise legislative functions, the European Council’s role – to ‘provide the Union with the necessary impetus for its development’ and to define its ‘general political directions and priorities’ – has developed rapidly over the past seven years. Continue reading
Outcome of the informal meeting of 27 Heads of State or Government on 16 September 2016 in Bratislava
Written by Ralf Drachenberg, The Bratislava summit was an informal meeting of Heads of State or Government of 27 Member States. Although attended by all members of the European Council other than the UK Prime Minister, it was not a meeting of that institution. Another difference from the European Council format was the absence of … Continue reading
Outcome of the European Council of 28 June 2016 and the informal meeting of 27 Heads of State or Government on 29 June 2016
Written by Joséphine Vanden Broucke, Ralf Drachenberg, Susanna Tenhunen and Suzana Anghel, The 28 June 2016 European Council was described by its President, Donald Tusk, as ‘very much a British European Council’. The result of the UK referendum held on 23 June 2016 – in which 51.9% of the 71.8% of the electorate who voted opted … Continue reading
Outlook for the European Council of 28-29 June 2016
Written by Ralf Drachenberg, Susanna Tenhunen and Suzana Anghel, The European Council meeting to be held on 28-29 June 2016 will discuss the outcome of the UK referendum held on 23 June 2016, where 51.9 per cent of those voting opted for the United Kingdom to leave the European Union. As a consequence, the other agenda items … Continue reading
Outlook for the European Council of 17-18 March 2016
Written by Ralf Drachenberg and Stanislas de Finance The European Council of 17-18 March 2016 will discuss further steps to address the migration crisis, focusing on the follow-up to the 7 March meeting of the EU Heads of State or Government with Turkey and on reforming the EU’s existing framework for a common asylum policy. … Continue reading
Outcome of informal European Council of 7 March 2016 and the informal meeting of the EU Heads of State or Government with Turkey
Written by Ralf Drachenberg, The informal European Council of 7 March 2016 focused on migration, assessing the state of implementation of previously agreed measures. EU leaders stressed the need to fully apply the Schengen Borders Code, thereby ending the ‘wave-through’ policy for migrants, providing humanitarian assistance to Greece and moving forward in the EU’s cooperation … Continue reading
Outcome of the European Council of 18-19 February 2016
Written by Ralf Drachenberg and Torlach Grant The European Council meeting of 18-19 February 2016 was dominated by the negotiation of an agreement between the United Kingdom and the other 27 Member States the basis for the former’s continued membership of the European Union. The migration crisis received less attention and mainly led to calls … Continue reading
