Council of the European Union
The Council of the European Union, often seen as the most powerful of the Union’s three major institutions, brings together the governments of the 27 EU Member States.
The European Council (which is composed of the heads of state or government of the European Union and the president of the Commission) is the driving force behind the European Union, setting its course and its political priorities.
Council
Media contact with the Council occurs mainly on the occasion of ministerial meetings: background briefings and documents are provided before these meetings, flash press releases and Council conclusions are issued during them, and they are followed by a press conference.
The Council press office is also available for background information about Council preparations, which occurs notably in the weekly meetings of Coreper 2, the forum for national permanent representatives or Coreper 1 for their deputies. There are no regular daily briefings by the Council's press officers, although briefings are always given before a ministerial meeting, and technical or thematic background briefings are also frequently scheduled.
The pre-Council briefings are usually given by the six-monthly rotating Council presidency supported by the Council Secretariat. The spokespersons for the presidency are also important contacts.
It is up to the rotating presidencies to hold regular briefings with the press, to present meetings of ministers and illustrate specific points to be decided by the ministers themselves. A programme with all the Council of the EU’s meetings, formal or informal ones, is published on the presidency website every six months. (The website address is http://www.eu + current year + the initials of the country holding the Presidency. e.g. in 2010: http://www.eu2010.hu).
For a one-stop-shop on finding out what is happening in the Council, its press service is a good place to start. However, the head of the press service does not speak in the name of the institution (unlike the official Commission spokesperson).
Rotating Presidencies
The presidency of the Council changes twice a year: on January 1st and July 1st. During its six-month term, the presidency chairs Council meetings in all configurations except for the "Foreign Affairs" Council, which is chaired by the High Representative of the Union for foreign affairs and security policy.
Informal ministerial meetings are held in the country holding the presidency, providing an opportunity for reporters based outside Brussels and notably in the country of the presidency to report on European issues. The next presidencies are:
Upcoming presidencies
• 2012: Cyprus (July-December)
• 2013: Ireland (January-June) & Lithuania (July-December)
• 2014: Greece (January-June) & Italy (July-December)
National Permanent representations also organise meetings for their country’s media, which can be open to media from other countries. Their press officers can be contacted for information about the respective national positions.
