European Council

This article deals with the meeting of European Union leaders. For other uses see European Council (disambiguation). The European Council (referred to as a European Summit) is the highest political body of the European Union which meets around four times a year. It comprises the heads of state or government of the Union's member states along with the President of the European Commission. Its meeting is chaired by the member from the member state currently holding Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
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Provides the European Union with the necessary impetus for its development and defines the general political guidelines thereof. It brings together the Heads of State or Government of the Member States and the President of the European Commission.
See also:
 EU Council    

The European Council is the term used to describe the regular meetings of the Heads of State or Government of the European Union Member States. It was set up by the communiqué issued at the close of the December 1974 Paris Summit and first met in 1975 (in Dublin, on 10 and 11 March). Before that time, from 1961 to 1974, the practice had been to hold European summit conferences. Its existence was given legal recognition by the Single European Act, while official status was conferred on it by the Treaty on European Union. It meets at least twice a year and the President of the European Commission attends as a full member. Its objectives are to give the European Union the impetus it needs in order to develop further and to define general policy guidelines.

See:

•Intergovernmental Conference (IGC) 
•Political agenda of the European Union 

This is the meeting of heads of State and government (i.e. presidents and/or prime ministers) of all the EU countries, plus the President of the European Commission. The European Council meets, in principle, four times a year to agree overall EU policy and to review progress. It is the highest-level policy-making body in the European Union, which is why its meetings are often called "summits".

The term used to describe the regular meetings of the Heads of State or Government of the EU Member States. Its objectives are to give the EU the impetus it needs in order to develop further and to define general policy guidelines.