Council of the European Union

The Council was established in 1958 as the Council of the European Economic Community and is located in Brussels, Belgium. The Council negotiates and adopts EU laws together with the European Parliament, coordinates EU countries' policies, develops the EU's foreign and security policy, concludes agreements with other countries or international organizations, and adopts the annual EU budget jointly with the European Parliament.

Council meetings are chaired by the relevant minister of the country holding the rotating EU presidency, except for the Foreign Affairs Council which has a permanent chairperson. The Council meets in 10 different configurations depending on the policy area, with ministers responsible for that area attending the meetings.