Council of the European Union

based in Brussels, together with the European Parliament is the main legislative body of the EU, as it considers and adopts EU regulations (directives, regulations, decisions, non-binding recommendations) on the basis of legislative proposals from the European Commission. The Council of the European Union is also the budgetary authority, which, together with the European Parliament, adopts the European Union's long-term budgetary policy on the basis of the European Commission's budget proposal. The Council concludes international agreements, which are negotiated in advance by the Commission and requires Parliament's approval. The Council of the European Union is responsible for coordinating the economic policies of the EU Member States and taking political decisions in the monetary field, without prejudice to the powers of the European Central Bank. The tasks and responsibilities of the Council also include the preparation of EU foreign and security policy, in accordance with the guidelines of the European Council.

The organizational structure of the Council consists of the members, the presidency and the preparatory bodies. The Council does not have permanent members, but, depending on the needs of the policy on the agenda, it meets in ten different configurations:
Meetings of the Council of the European Union on each policy area are attended by the minister responsible for that area from each Member State. The Council of the European Union (except for the Foreign Affairs Council), is chaired on a six-month basis by a representative of the Member State holding the Presidency of the EU). The Council, in all its configurations, is chaired for 18 months by a pre-determined group of three Member States, ie each member for six months.

Portugal and Slovenia hold the presidencies in 2021, France and the Czech Republic in 2022, Sweden and Spain a year later, etc., but the order may change in accordance with the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. However, the Foreign Affairs Council is permanently chaired by the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

The Council is assisted by the Permanent Representatives Committee of the EU Member States (Coreper) and the Council's preparatory bodies, which are divided into: