The Role of the European Council in Institutional and Policy Developments in the European Union

Abstract

The institutional and policy development of the European Union (EU) since the Treaty of Rome is a vast topic to cover in a short essay. There is an obvious need to be selective. This chapter, therefore, focuses on the role of the European Council. By so doing, it cuts out the first 18 years of the history of the European Communities since the European Council only entered onto the scene in 1975. The argument — which certainly is not new — is that the European Council has had an enormous influence on the EU’s institutional and policy development over the past 30–35 years. In fact, it has been the most important actor in this period of the history of European Integration — more important than the ‘real’ institutions, that is, the Council, the Commission and the European Parliament (EP). The chapter describes how the work of the European Council has evolved since its creation, in particular from the start of its ‘Golden Age’ in the beginning of the 1980s. It concludes with some reflections on whether the European Council is likely to maintain its dominant role in the life of the EU in the future.

This chapter reflects the author’s personal views and does not in any way engage the institution for which he presently works.