What is the European Council?
The European Council is an institution of the European Union.
The European Council sets out the EU's general direction and political priorities. Sometimes, it negotiates and agrees on issues too contentious for approval by other EU institutions. The European Council generally does not make final legislative decisions, but it does sometimes discuss important legislative issues.
The European Council members are:
one head of state / government from each of the 28 member states;
the President of the European Commission;
the President of the European Council.
The High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy is usually also in attendance.
Changing of the Guard
This will be the first European Council for:
Boris Johnson, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Ursula von der Leyen, President-elect of the European Commission [as a guest]
This will be the last European Council for:
