We use cookies in order to ensure that you can get the best browsing experience possible on the Council website. Certain cookies are used to obtain aggregated statistics about website visits to help us constantly improve the site and better serve your needs. Other cookies are used to boost performance and guarantee security of the website.
With your permission, we will use AT internet cookies to produce aggregated, anonymous data about our visitors' browsing and behaviour on our website. We will use this data to improve your experience on our website.
To get more information about these cookies, how and why we use them and how you can change your settings, check our cookies policy page.
Lockdown, social distancing, masks, teleworking, video conferences: 2020 has been a year like no other. This visual story reviews some of the work of the Council & the European Council, and how it helped steer the EU from crisis to recovery.
The role of the European Council and the Council of the EU explained
The European Council
The European Council consists of the heads of state or government of the EU's member states, together with its President and the European Commission President. It defines the EU's general political direction and priorities.
The Council of the EU represents the member states' governments. Informally also known as the EU Council, it is where national ministers from each EU country meet to adopt laws and coordinate policies.
