Informal Meeting of Defence Ministers in Ghent

from 23 September 2010 to 24 September 2010
16:00 - 16:00

The city of Ghent will host this informal summit of ministers for defence on 23 and 24 September. This event will be one of the meetings to generate the greatest media interest during the Belgian presidency of the European Union.

The city of Ghent will form a showplace for both the Belgian Department of Defence and Eastern Flanders. Aside from the meeting itself which will be held at St. Peter’s Abbey, the delegations will also have the opportunity to discover the city hall, the Cloth Hall and attend a concert organised by the Festival of Flanders at the Cathedral of St Bavo. The press centre will be set up at St. Peter’s Abbey with all facilities available to accredited journalists. All practical information is available on the site www.beldef.be which will be updated regularly, with the addition of text, photos and streaming video during the two days of informal events.

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Councils: External Relations

Where

Abbaye St Pierre, Kappitelzaal , Sint-Pietersplein 9, Gand 9000
WiFi, printers, computers, editing stations, telephone, etc.

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Sonia Van Loo
Press officer DG COM/ Press Dept
sonia.vanloo@mil.be
+32 (0)2 701 63 88
+32 (0)475 89 08 62
Defence

Useful links

Accreditation

Decision-making process

Council of the EU:
The Council decides

The Council decides on legislative proposals. This takes place in accordance with normal legislative procedure, in consultation with the European Parliament. The Council meets in various configurations. There have been ten council configurations since the Treaty of Lisbon came into effect. Each council configuration deals with a number of fixed areas and is comprised of the authorised national ministers. Every minister in the Council is authorised to enter into agreements on behalf of their government. Each council configuration – except for the Foreign Affairs Council, which is chaired by the High Representative – is chaired by the member state currently presiding over the rotating six month role.
European Parliament:
The European Parliament decides

The European Parliament has various commissions. They prepare the contents of the recommendations for the legislative proposals. The European Parliament, together with the Council, accepts legislative proposals from the European Commission. Since the Treaty of Lisbon came into effect, the procedure whereby both institutions decide on the vast majority of the areas on an equal footing (normal legislative procedure) has been applicable. In this normal legislative procedure, both institutions must approve the legislative proposal in question. The European Parliament can accept, reject or change the content of legislative proposals.
Council working groups and the COREPER:
The council working groups and the COREPER prepare

The council working groups and the Permanent Representatives Committee prepare the Council activities. They attempt to prepare the ground as much as possible for a compromise. There is therefore a long and intensive preparation before every Council meeting. The member state chairing the Council presides over the Coreper and the bulk of the council working groups.
European Commission:
The European Commission draws up new legislative proposals

The European Commission draws up legislative proposals that it presents to the Parliament and the Council. These proposals must protect the interests of the EU as a whole. The Commission is comprised of 27 members. Each member state therefore nominates one member. The College of Commissioners meets every week on Wednesday mornings in Brussels. In these meetings they discuss each point on the agenda and then make a collective decision. Each member of the Commission can request a vote. The European Commission decides by normal majority.

Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union

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