The Council of Ministers

Introduction.- PART 1: WHO DOES WHAT?.- National Representatives Decide: The Ministers in Council.- Officials Prepare the Ground: The Preparatory Bodies.- Bureaucrats Organise and Advise:.- The Council Secretariat.- Taking Turns at the Wheel: The Presidency.- PART II: WITH WHOM?.- Overlapping Competences: The Council and the European Council.- Competition and Cooperation: The Council and the Commission.- An Evolving Partnership: The Council and the European Parliament.- Not Just Governments: The Council and the Member States.- PART III: HOW?.- Less Often than Expected: Voting in the Council.- Compromise and Consensus: Negotiation and Bargaining in the Council.- Conclusions.