Assessing Future of the European Council

Abstract

Jean Monnet once expressed: 'Nothing is possible without men; nothing is lasting without institutions'. Beginning in early 1970s, the European Union developed an effective system of collective leadership in and through the European Council, which facilitated the integration process despite radical changes in the size and character of the EU and the emergence of a generation of leaders who are only hardly comparable with their predecessors. Yet, in the European Union that now includes 27 Member States, reaching consensus in the European Council is beginning to be difficult like never before, which may possibly handicap or partially hinder progress in the EU project. Consequently, the principal aim of my research is to succinctly analyze the aspects of the EU leadership. I will assess the future of the highest authority of the European Union (in EU 27), which is the European Council- often regarded as the mover and shaper of the EU integration. To be consistent with my assessment, I discuss: The central managerial role of the office of Presidency The pre EU Council institutional arrangement of the EEC How, where, and why the EU Council emerged and what role it played in the process of the European integration What reforms the EU Council went through, and which in particular made it into successful...