Council of Ministers

Definition

Also known as 'The Council' or 'Council of the EU', it's one part of a bicameral legislature in which representatives from each member country come together to adopt laws and coordinate policies.

Analogy

Imagine if every class representative in your school came together to make rules about how lunchtime works - that's kind-of what happens at meetings at 'The Council'.

Related terms

Qualified Majority Voting (QMV): A method used by 'The Council' when making decisions where instead just counting votes equally from each country some votes have more weight than others based on factors like population size.

Presidency of The council Of The EU: A role that rotates among EU member states every 6 months. The presidency chairs meetings at every level in the Council, helping to ensure the continuity of the EU's work in the Council.

European Parliament: The other part of bicameral legislature along with 'The Council'. It represents people directly as its members are elected by citizens of EU countries.