Council of the European Union

Within the Council of the European Union—the EU’s main decision-making body—the system of qualified majority voting (QMV), previously used only in certain circumstances, was extended to more policy areas, thereby easing the decision-making process. In addition, for most decisions, 55 percent of member states, provided they represented…

…Solana became secretary-general of the Council of the European Union and the high representative for the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy. He was approved for a second five-year term to the joint offices in 2004; he stepped down in 2009. Solana also served one term as the secretary-general of…

…the EU has been the Council of the European Union (originally the Council of Ministers), which consists of ministerial representatives. The composition of the council changes frequently, as governments send different representatives depending on the policy area under discussion. All community legislation requires the approval of the council. The president…