What does the Council of Ministers do?

The Council of Ministers is the EU’s most important decision-making body. Its main task is to approve European laws.

Though a single institution, the Council meets in a variety of configurations: for instance the General Affairs and External Relations Council (GAERC) and the Economic and Financial Affairs Council (Ecofin).

These councils are formed by ministers from each member state, usually with a national responsibility for the subject under discussion.

For example, if the proposed legislation concerned agriculture, the UK would send its Minister for Agriculture.

The member state holding the Presidency is responsible for organising the business of the Council, assisted by a permanent secretariat based in Brussels.