List of European Council meetings explained

This is a list of meetings of the European Council (informally referred to as EU summits); the meetings of the European Council, an institution of the European Union (EU) comprising heads of state or government of EU member states. They started in 1975 as tri-annual meetings. The number of meetings grew to minimum four per year between 1996 and 2007, and minimum six per year since 2008. From 2008 to 2019, an average of seven council meetings per year took place. A record number of meetings (13) were held during 2020 - although mostly as informal video conferences; as the meeting frequency and format was changed this specific year by the COVID-19 pandemic. Since 2021, an average of eight council meetings per year took place (see list below).

Since 2008, an annual average of two special Euro summits were also organized in addition – and often in parallel – to the EU summits. As the agenda of Euro summits is restricted solely to discuss issues for the eurozone and only invite political leaders of the eurozone member states, such meetings are not counted as European Councils. Neither are any of the Tripartite Social Summits, that were held bi-annually since May 2021 between the EU Council presidency, Council President, Commission President and the European social partners at top management level (BusinessEurope, European Trade Union Confederation, SGI Europe, SMEunited and CEC European Managers).

The current practice is that meetings are always called and organized to the extent found needed by the European Council president. The upcoming ordinary meetings are scheduled by the end of each semester, by the issuance of a call letter. In 2011-2020 meetings were scheduled and called for the third following semester (minimum one year in advance),^[1] but this changed to minimum 6 months in advance for 2021-2023,^[2] and since 2024 they are now only issued shortly before the first meeting of the specific semester in concern.^[3] The ordinary mettings can take form either as "scheduled ordinary meetings" (resulting in a published document entitled "conclusions") or "informal ordinary meetings" (resulting in a published document entitled "statement"). A called scheduled/informal ordinary upcoming meeting might occasionally be moved or cancelled within a short notice, with such change then being notified by the Council president through the issue of a revised calendar plan for the ordinary meetings within the semester in concern. If extra meetings are called outside the procedure of notification by an issued call letter for the upcoming semester in concern (meaning after the semester has started), they are referred to as being "extraordinary meetings". The phrase "special meeting" is synonymously used for an "extraordinary meeting".

Extraordinary meetings can - just like the ordinary meetings - be held either in a formal or informal format. The list does not specify whether or not an extraordinary meeting was formal or informal, but this can be indirectly observed when checking the title of the published document summarizing the outcome of the meeting, as "conclusions" can only be published if the extraordinary meeting had a formal format.

List

The first seven summit meetings were held between 1961 and 1974, but this was before the formal establishment of the European Council. Some sources however consider them to be the informal seven first meetings of the European Council.^[4]

1970s

	Year	Date	Type	EU Council presidency	President-in-Office	Commission President	Host city	Notes
1	1975	10–11 March	―		Liam Cosgrave	François-Xavier Ortoli	Dublin	http://aei.pitt.edu/archive/00001921 Inaugural formal Council
2		16–17 July	―		Aldo Moro		Brussels	http://aei.pitt.edu/archive/00001427
3		1–2 December	―				Rome	http://aei.pitt.edu/archive/00001407 Established TREVI
4	1976	1–2 April	―		Gaston Thorn		Luxembourg	http://aei.pitt.edu/archive/00001412/
5		12–13 July	―		Joop den Uyl		Brussels	http://aei.pitt.edu/archive/00001428/
6		29–30 November	―				The Hague	http://aei.pitt.edu/archive/00001450/
7	1977	25–27 March	―		James Callaghan	Roy Jenkins	Rome	http://aei.pitt.edu/archive/00001405/
8		29–30 June	―				London	http://aei.pitt.edu/archive/00001410/
9		5–6 December	―		Leo Tindemans		Brussels	http://aei.pitt.edu/archive/00001423/
10	1978	7–8 April	―		Anker Jørgensen		Copenhagen	http://aei.pitt.edu/archive/00001440/
11		6–7 July	―		Helmut Schmidt		Bremen	http://aei.pitt.edu/archive/00001454/
12		4–5 December	―				Brussels	http://aei.pitt.edu/archive/00001424/
13	1979	12–13 March	―		Valéry Giscard d'Estaing		Paris	http://aei.pitt.edu/archive/00001458/
14		21–22 June	―				Strasbourg	http://aei.pitt.edu/archive/00001394/
15		29–30 November	―		Jack Lynch		Dublin	http://aei.pitt.edu/archive/00001402/

1980s

	Year	Date	Type	EU Council presidency	President-in-Office	Commission President	Host city	Notes
16	1980	17–18 April	―		Francesco Cossiga	Roy Jenkins	Luxembourg	http://aei.pitt.edu/archive/00001413/
17		12–13 June	―				Venice	http://aei.pitt.edu/archive/00001393/
18		1–2 December	―		Pierre Werner		Luxembourg	http://aei.pitt.edu/archive/00001415/
19	1981	23–24 March	―		Dries van Agt	Gaston Thorn	Maastricht	http://aei.pitt.edu/archive/00001419/
20		29–30 June	―				Luxembourg	http://aei.pitt.edu/archive/00001417/
21		26–27 November	―		Margaret Thatcher		London	http://aei.pitt.edu/archive/00001411/
22	1982	29–30 March	―		Wilfried Martens		Brussels	http://aei.pitt.edu/archive/00001431/
23		28–29 June	―				Brussels	http://aei.pitt.edu/archive/00001429/
24		3–4 December	―		Poul Schlüter		Copenhagen	http://aei.pitt.edu/archive/00001441/
25	1983	21–22 March	―		Helmut Kohl		Brussels	http://aei.pitt.edu/archive/00001432/
26		17–19 June	―				Stuttgart	http://aei.pitt.edu/archive/00001396/
27		4–6 December	―		Andreas Papandreou		Athens	http://aei.pitt.edu/archive/00001437/
28	1984	19–20 March	―		François Mitterrand		Brussels	http://aei.pitt.edu/archive/00001427http://aei.pitt.edu/archive/00001433/
29		25–26 June	―				Fontainebleau	http://aei.pitt.edu/archive/00001448/ British rebate agreed
30		3–4 December	―		Garret FitzGerald		Dublin	http://aei.pitt.edu/archive/00001400/
31	1985	29–30 March	―		Bettino Craxi	Jacques Delors	Brussels	http://aei.pitt.edu/archive/00001434/ Initiated the IGC leading to the Single European Act
32		28–29 June	―				Milan	http://aei.pitt.edu/archive/00001421/
33		2–3 December	―		Jacques Santer		Luxembourg	http://aei.pitt.edu/archive/00001416/
34	1986	26–27 June	―		Ruud Lubbers		The Hague	http://aei.pitt.edu/archive/00001449/
35		5–6 December	―		Margaret Thatcher		London	http://aei.pitt.edu/archive/00001409/
36	1987	29–30 June	―		Wilfried Martens		Brussels	http://aei.pitt.edu/archive/00001430/
37		4–5 December	―		Poul Schlüter		Copenhagen	http://aei.pitt.edu/archive/00001442/
38	1988	11–13 February	―		Helmut Kohl		Brussels	http://aei.pitt.edu/archive/00001426/
39		27–28 June	―				Hanover	http://aei.pitt.edu/archive/00001422/
40		2–3 December	―		Andreas Papandreou		Rhodes	http://aei.pitt.edu/archive/00001483/
41	1989	26–27 June	―		Felipe González		Madrid	http://aei.pitt.edu/1453/
42		18 November	Informal		François Mitterrand		Paris	http://aei.pitt.edu/1457/
43		8–9 December	―				Strasbourg	http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/0c713ea2-9d7e-11de-9f4a-00144feabdc0.htmlhttp://aei.pitt.edu/1395/ European Council endorses German reunification despite some Anglo-French opposition.

1990s

	Year	Date	Type	EU Council presidency	President-in-Office	Commission President	Host city	Notes
44	1990	28 April	Extraordinary		Charles Haughey	Jacques Delors	Dublin	http://aei.pitt.edu/1397/
45		25–26 June	―			Dublin	http://aei.pitt.edu/1401/
46		27–28 October	―		Giulio Andreotti	Rome	http://aei.pitt.edu/1404/
47		14–15 December	―			Rome	http://aei.pitt.edu/1406/
48	1991	8 April	Informal		Jacques Santer	Luxembourg	http://aei.pitt.edu/1414/
49		28–29 June	―		Luxembourg	http://aei.pitt.edu/1935/
50		9–10 December	―		Ruud Lubbers	Maastricht	http://aei.pitt.edu/1418/ Signing of the Treaty of Maastricht
51	1992	27 June	―		Aníbal Cavaco Silva	Lisbon	http://aei.pitt.edu/1420/
52		16 October	―		John Major	Birmingham	http://aei.pitt.edu/1455/
53		11–12 December	―			Edinburgh	http://aei.pitt.edu/1445/
54	1993	21–22 June	―		Poul Nyrup Rasmussen	Copenhagen	http://aei.pitt.edu/1443/ Copenhagen criteria agreed
55		29 October	―		Jean-Luc Dehaene	Brussels	http://aei.pitt.edu/1435/
56		10–11 December	―			Brussels	http://aei.pitt.edu/1425/
57	1994	24–25 June	―		Andreas Papandreou	Corfu	http://aei.pitt.edu/1444/ Signing of the Accession Treaty of Austria, Finland, Sweden and Norway (Norway did not ratify)
58		15 July	Extraordinary		Helmut Kohl	Brussels	https://multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/en/video/santer-commission-joint-press-conference-by-jacques-santer-president-elect-of-the-ec-helmut-kohl-german-federal-chancellor-jacques-delors-president-of-the-ec-and-klaus-kinkel-after-the-extraordinary-meeting-of-the-european-council-15071994_EP091491
59		9–10 December	―			Essen	http://aei.pitt.edu/1447/
60	1995	26–27 June	―		Jacques Chirac	Jacques Santer	Cannes	http://aei.pitt.edu/1446/
61		22–23 October	Extraordinary		Felipe González	Majorca
62		15–16 December	―			Madrid	http://aei.pitt.edu/1452/
63	1996	29 March	―		Lamberto Dini	Turin	https://aei.pitt.edu/43327/
64		21–22 June	―		Romano Prodi	Florence	https://aei.pitt.edu/43328/
65		5 October	Extraordinary		John Bruton	Dublin
66		13–14 December	―			Dublin	https://aei.pitt.edu/43329/
67	1997	23 May	Informal		Wim Kok	Noordwijk
68		16–17 June	―			Amsterdam	https://aei.pitt.edu/43330/ Signed Treaty of Amsterdam
69		20–21 November	Extraordinary		Jean-Claude Juncker	Luxembourg	https://aei.pitt.edu/43331/ Extraordinary European Council on Employment
70		12–13 December	―			Luxembourg
71	1998	3 May	Extraordinary		Tony Blair	Brussels	Special Council on the Euro decides the 11 states which would enter the third stage of EMU
72		15–16 June	―			Cardiff	https://aei.pitt.edu/43333/
73		24–25 October	Informal		Viktor Klima	Pörtschach
74		11–12 December	―			Vienna	https://aei.pitt.edu/43334/
75	1999	26 February	Informal		Gerhard Schröder	Königswinter
76		24–25 March	―			Manuel Marin (Interim)	Berlin	https://aei.pitt.edu/43335/
77		14 April	Informal				Brussels
78		3–4 June	―				Cologne	https://aei.pitt.edu/43336/ Details below table
79		15–16 October	Extraordinary		Paavo Lipponen	Romano Prodi	Tampere	https://aei.pitt.edu/43337/ Special meeting on justice and home affairs
80		10–11 December	―				Helsinki	https://aei.pitt.edu/43338/

2000s

	Year	Date	Type	EU Council presidency	President-in-Office	Commission President	Host city	Notes
81	2000	23–24 March	―		António Guterres	Romano Prodi	Lisbon	https://aei.pitt.edu/43340/ Agreed Lisbon Strategy
82		19–20 June	―		Santa Maria da Feira	https://aei.pitt.edu/43325/ Agreement to allow entry of Greece to the Eurozone
83		13–14 October	Informal		Jacques Chirac	Biarritz
84		7–10 December	―			Nice	https://aei.pitt.edu/43339/1/Nice_2000.pdf Signed Treaty of Nice
85	2001	23–24 March	―		Göran Persson	Stockholm	https://aei.pitt.edu/43341/
86		15–16 June	―			Gothenburg	https://aei.pitt.edu/43342/ Enlargement, sustainable development, economic growth and structural reform, in addition to an EU-US summit
87		21 September	Extraordinary		Guy Verhofstadt	Brussels	https://www.consilium.europa.eu/media/20972/140en.pdf Emergency council – Terrorism
88		19 October	Informal			Ghent	https://aei.pitt.edu/43343/
89		14–15 December	―			Laeken	https://aei.pitt.edu/43344/ Details below table
90	2002	15–16 March	―		José María Aznar López	Barcelona	https://aei.pitt.edu/43345/
91		21–22 June	―			Seville	https://aei.pitt.edu/43346/ Decided to reorganise the Council formations to achieve greater focus and efficiency
92		24–25 October	―		Anders Fogh Rasmussen	Brussels	https://aei.pitt.edu/43348/
93		12–13 December	―			Copenhagen	https://aei.pitt.edu/43349/
94	2003	17 February	Extraordinary		Costas Simitis	Brussels	Iraq crisis – Presidency conclusions
95		20–21 March	―			Brussels	Presidency conclusions
96		16 April	Informal			Athens	Signing of the Treaty of Accession 2003,^[5] Declaration on Iraq European Convention
97		19–20 June	―			Thessaloniki	Presidency conclusions of the June 2003 meeting
98		4 October	Extraordinary		Silvio Berlusconi	Rome	Beginning of IGC on EU Constitution
99		16–17 October	―			Brussels	Presidency conclusions of the October 2003 meeting
100		12–13 December	―			Brussels	Presidency conclusions of the December 2003 meeting
101	2004	25–26 March	―		Bertie Ahern	Brussels	Declaration on combating terrorism Presidency conclusions of the March 2004 meeting
102		17–18 June	―			Brussels	Presidency conclusions of the June 2004 meeting
103		4–5 November	―		Jan Peter Balkenende	Brussels	Presidency conclusions of the November 2004 meeting
104		16–17 December	―			José Manuel Barroso	Brussels	Presidency conclusions of the December 2004 meeting
105	2005	22–23 March	―		Jean-Claude Juncker	Brussels	Presidency conclusions of the March 2005 meeting
106		16–17 June	―		Brussels	Declaration on the ratification of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe Presidency conclusions of the June 2005 meeting
107		27 October	Informal		Tony Blair	London	Globalisation
108		15–16 December	―		Brussels	Presidency conclusions of the December 2005 meeting
109	2006	23–24 March	―		Wolfgang Schüssel	Brussels	Presidency conclusions of the March 2006 meeting
110		15–16 June	―			Brussels	Agreement to allow entry of Slovenia to the Eurozone Presidency conclusions of the June 2006 meeting
111		20 October	Informal		Matti Vanhanen	Lahti	Meeting with Vladimir Putin held in Sibelius Hall
112		14–15 December	―			Brussels	Presidency conclusions of the December 2006 meeting
113	2007	8–9 March	―		Angela Merkel	Brussels	Presidency conclusions of the March 2007 meeting
114		21–22 June	―			Brussels	Agreement on basis for the Treaty of Lisbon Agreement to allow entry of Malta and Cyprus to the Eurozone Presidency conclusions of the June 2007 meeting
115		18–19 October	Informal		José Sócrates	Lisbon	Agreement reached on the Reform Treaty Discussed climate change and the US economic crisis.^[6]
116		14 December	―			Brussels	Signature of Reform Treaty in Lisbon on 13/12 European Council in Brussels the next day Presidency conclusions of the December 2007 meeting
117	2008	13–14 March	―		Janez Janša	Brussels	Agreed timeframe and principles of energy/climate change policy Presidency conclusions of the March 2008 meeting
118		19–20 June	―			Brussels	Presidency conclusions of the June 2008 meeting
119		13–14 July	Extraordinary		Nicolas Sarkozy	Paris	Barcelona process for the Mediterranean
120		1 September	Extraordinary			Brussels	Extraordinary summit on EU-Russia relations (Georgia crisis)^[7] Presidency conclusions of the September 2008 meeting
―		12 October	Euro summit			Paris	Eurozone summit conclusions of October 2008 meeting
121		15–16 October	―			Brussels	Presidency conclusions of the October 2008 meeting
122		7 November	Informal			Brussels	Informal summit on the financial crisis of 2007–2008 Conclusions from meeting on the Global Financial Crisis
123		11–12 December	―			Brussels	Presidency conclusions of the December 2008 meeting
124	2009	1 March	Informal		Mirek Topolánek	Brussels	Informal summit on the financial crisis of 2007–2008 Conclusions of the Global Financial Crisis meeting on 1 March 2009
125		19–20 March	―			Brussels	Presidency conclusions of the March 2009 meeting
126		5 April	Informal (EU-USA summit)		Jan Fischer	Prague	US President Barack Obama in Prague Conclusions of the EU-USA relations meeting in April 2009
127		18–19 June	―			Brussels	Icelandic application accepted Presidency conclusions of the June 2009 meeting Press conference video: 1 and 2
128		17 September	Informal		Fredrik Reinfeldt	Brussels	Preparation for the 2009 G-20 Pittsburgh summit ^[8] Presidency conclusions of the September 2009 meeting Press conference video
129		29–30 October	―			Brussels	Presidency conclusions of the October 2009 meeting Press conference video
130		19 November	Informal			Brussels	Chose the first President of the European Council (Herman Van Rompuy) and the first High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (Catherine Ashton) Presidency conclusions of the November 2009 meeting Press conference video
131		10–11 December	—			Brussels	Presidency conclusions of the December 2009 meeting, Minutes Press conference video: 1 and 2

2010s

Since 2010, all formal (scheduled or extraordinary) European Council meetings have taken place in Brussels and been chaired by a permanent President, as introduced by the Treaty of Lisbon. In February 2010 the exact location was the Solvay Library, subsequent meetings took place at the Justus Lipsius building and since March 2017 at the Europa Building.

	Year	Date	Type	EU Council presidency	Council President		Agenda, Conclusions and Minutes	Press conference
132	2010	11 February	Informal		Herman Van Rompuy (1st term)<	--1 December 2009 to 1 June 2012-->^[9]	José Manuel Barroso (2nd term)	Statement.	Video
―		25 March	Euro summit			Statement.
133		25–26 March	Scheduled			Conclusions, Minutes		Video: 1 and 2
―		7 May	Euro summit			Statement.		Video
134		17 June	Scheduled			Conclusions, Minutes		Video
135		16 September	Extraordinary (special)<	--This meeting was called by the Council president on 26 March 2010 (announced in the conclusions of the March summit), as an extraordinary special meeting in the presence of the Ministers ofForeign Affairs, in order to discuss how the Union can better engage with its strategic partners on global issues.-->				Conclusions, Minutes, (note: the Ministers of Foreign Affairs were also present in this special European Council)^[10]	Video
136		28–29 October	Scheduled	Conclusions, Minutes				Video: 1 and 2
137		16–17 December	Scheduled	Conclusions, Minutes				Video
138	2011	4 February	Scheduled			Conclusions, Minutes		Video
―		11 March	Euro summit			Statement.		Video
139		11 March	Extraordinary			Declaration on EU policy for actions in Libya and the Southern Neighbourhood region, Minutes		Video
140		24–25 March	Scheduled^[11]			Conclusions, Minutes		Video: 1 and 2
141		23–24 June	Scheduled			Website, Conclusions, Minutes and corrigendum		Video: 1 and 2
―		21 July	Euro summit			Statement.		Video
142		23 October	Scheduled			Conclusions, Minutes		Video
―		23–26 October	Euro summit			Statement.		Video: 1 and 2
143		26 October	Informal			Website, Statement.
144		9 December	Scheduled^[12]			Website, Conclusions, Minutes		Video: 1 and 2
―		9 December	Euro summit			Statement
―	2012	30 January	Euro summit			Agreed lines of communication.
145		30 January	Informal<			-- This meeting was not called minimum one year in advance, but despite of being called within an extraordinary short time frame, it was referred to as being "informal" rather than "extraordinary".-->		Website, Statement on growth and jobs, Growth and competitiveness, Foreign policy issues, Fiscal discipline and convergence, Treaty on Stability, Coordination and Governance.	Video
146		1–2 March	Scheduled^[13]			Website, Conclusions, Implementation of the European Semester, Fiscal Compact signed, Van Rompuy re-elected president, Minutes and corrigendum		Video: 1 and 2
―		2 March	Euro summit			Statement.
147		23 May	Informal<			-- The meeting was removed from the scheduled list of meetings in November 2011, which apparently meant it changed status to become an "informal ordinary meeting" from initially being a "scheduled ordinary meeting"^[14] -->		Website 1 and 2, Greece: euro area press lines, Tackling youth unemployment.	Video
148		28–29 June	Scheduled		Herman Van Rompuy (2nd term)<	--1 June 2012 to 30 November 2014-->		Website, Conclusions, Towards a genuine EMU (Council edition), European Council programme July 2012 to Dec.2014, Minutes	Video: 1 and 2
―		28–29 June	Euro summit			Statement		Video
149		18–19 October	Scheduled^[15]			Website, Conclusions, Conclusions on completing EMU, Towards a genuine EMU (interim report), Statement on Greece, Minutes		Video: 1 and 2
150		22‑23 November	Extraordinary			Website, Statement on EU's Multiannual Financial Framework 2014–20, Minutes		Video
151		13–14 December	Scheduled			Website, Conclusions, Conclusions on completing EMU, Towards a genuine EMU (final report), Agreed position on bank supervision (SSM), Minutes		Video 1 and 2
152	2013	7–8 February	Scheduled^[16]			Website, Conclusions, Multiannual Financial Framework.		Video
―		14 March	Euro summit			New procedure rules for Euro summits, Presidential Remarks
153		14–15 March	Scheduled			Website, Conclusions.		Video: 1 and 2
154		22 May	Scheduled			Website, Conclusions (Taxation and Energy), EC member numbers.		Video
155		27–28 June	Scheduled			Website, Conclusions, EP in 2014–19, Genuine EMU.		Video: 1 and 2
156		24–25 October	Scheduled^[17]			Website, Conclusions.		Video: 1 and 2
157		19–20 December	Scheduled			Website, Conclusions, Security & Defense conclusions.		Video: 1 and 2
158	2014	6 March	Extraordinary			Website (EU stands by Ukraine), Statement on Ukraine.		Video and photo gallery
159		20–21 March	Scheduled^[18]			Website, Conclusions, Conclusions on Ukraine, EU sanctions against Russia, Signing of EU-Ukraine Association Agreement.		Video: 1 and 2
160		27 May	Informal			Website, Statement on Ukraine.		Video
161		26–27 June	Scheduled			Website, Conclusions, Conclusions on Ukraine, Strategic agenda for the Union, World War I commemoration, Signing of Association Agreements with Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine.		Video
162		16 July	Extraordinary			Website, Conclusions, Conclusions on Ukraine and Gaza.		Video
163		30 August	Extraordinary			Website, Conclusions, Nomination of next European Council president and Foreign Affairs High Representative, Sanctions against Russia over Ukraine crisis.		Video: 1 and 2, Ukrainian President 1a and 1b
164		23–24 October	Scheduled^[19]			Website, Conclusions, New Commission appointed, 2030 climate and energy policy framework, EU response on Ebola.		Video: 1 and 2
―		24 October^[20]	Euro summit			Statement
165		18 December	Scheduled		Donald Tusk (1st term)<	--1 December 2014 to 30 May 2017-->^[21]	Jean-Claude Juncker	Website, Conclusions, Crimea and Sevastopol: further EU sanctions.	Video
166	2015	12 February	Informal^[22]			Website, Results of the informal meeting, Statement on the fight against terrorism, Next Steps on Better Economic Governance in the Euro Area (analytical note), Remarks about Ukrainian ceasefire.		Video, Ukrainian ceasefire agreement
167		19–20 March	Scheduled			Website, Conclusions, Energy Union, Relations with Russia, European Semester 2015, Statement on Tunisia, Statement on Greece.		Video: 1 and 2
168		23 April	Extraordinary			Website, Statement, 10 point action plan to combat Mediterranean migratory pressures, Minutes		Video
—		22 June^[23]	Euro summit			Website, Presidential remarks 1 and 2		Video
169		25–26 June	Scheduled			Website, Conclusions, European Fund for Strategic Investments, Completing Europe's Economic and Monetary Union.		Video: 1 and 2
—		7 July^[24]	Euro summit			Website, Preparing Eurogroup meeting, Presidential Remarks		Video
—		12 July	Euro summit			Website, Eurogroup meeting, Presidential Remarks, Statement		Video
170		23 September	Informal			Website, Presidential Remarks, Statement		Video
171		15 October	Scheduled			Website, Conclusions
172		12 November	Informal			Website, Presidential Remarks
173		17‑18 December	Scheduled			Website, Conclusions
174	2016	18‑19 February	Scheduled			Website, Conclusions
175		17–18 March	Scheduled			Website, Conclusions, Minutes and corrigendum
176		28 June	Scheduled (postponed due to Brexit Referendum)			Website, Conclusions, Minutes
		29 June	Informal^without UK			Website, Statement
177		16 September	Informal^without UK			Website, Declaration and Roadmap
178		20–21 October	Scheduled			Website, Conclusions
179		15 December	Scheduled			Website, Conclusions
180	2017	3 February, a.m.	Informal			Website, Statement and remarks
		3 February, p.m.	Informal^without UK			Website: "Main results: Preparations for the 60th anniversary of the Rome Treaties"
181		9 March	Scheduled			Website, Conclusions by the President, Minutes
		10 March	Informal^without UK			Website: "Informal meeting"
182		29 April	Extraordinary^without UK			Website, European Council (Art. 50) guidelines for Brexit negotiations, Minutes
183		22–23 June	Scheduled		Donald Tusk (2nd term)<	--1 June 2017 to 30 November 2019-->			Website, Annotated agenda, Conclusions
		22 June, evening	Extraordinary^without UK			Website, Annotated agenda, Decision by Heads of State and Government: Procedure leading up to a decision on the relocation of the EMA and the EBA in the context of the UK's withdrawal from the Union
184		19–20 October	Scheduled			Website, Conclusions
		20 October	Extraordinary^without UK			Website
185		17 November	Informal			Website
186		14–15 December	Scheduled			Website, Conclusions
		15 December^[25]	Euro Summit			Website, Presidential Remarks
		15 December	Extraordinary^without UK			Outcome: guidelines for Brexit negotiations
187	2018	22–23 March	Scheduled			Website, Conclusions
		23 March	Scheduled^without UK			Website
		23 March	Euro Summit			Website
188		28–29 June	Scheduled			Website, Conclusions
		29 June	Extraordinary^without UK			Conclusions
		29 June	Euro Summit					Website, Statement
189		19–20 September	Informal			Website
		20 September	Informal^without UK			Website
190		17 October	Extraordinary^without UK			Website
		18 October, a.m.	Scheduled			Website
		18 October, p.m.	Euro Summit			Website
191		13–14 December	Scheduled			Website
		13 December	Extraordinary^without UK			Website
		14 December	Euro Summit			Website, Statement
192	2019	21 March	Extraordinary^without UK			Website, European Council Decision (EU) 2019/476 taken in agreement with the United Kingdom of 22 March 2019 extending the period under Article 50(3) TEU, Conclusions
		22 March	Scheduled			Website, Conclusions
193		10 April	Extraordinary^without UK			Website, European Council Decision (EU) 2019/584 taken in agreement with the United Kingdom of 11 April 2019 extending the period under Article 50(3) TEU, Conclusions
194		9 May	Informal			Website
195		28 May	Informal			Website
196		20 June	Scheduled			Website, Conclusions
		21 June	Euro Summit			Website, Statement
		21 June	Extraordinary^without UK			Website (see heading "Brexit")
197		30 June–2 July	Extraordinary	&<br />		Website, Conclusions (nominations for President of the European Council, President of the Commission, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and President of the European Central Bank)
198		17 October	Extraordinary^without UK			Website, Conclusions
		17–18 October	Scheduled			Website, Conclusions
199		12–13 December	Scheduled		Charles Michel^[26]	Ursula von der Leyen	Website, Conclusions
		13 December	Euro Summit				Website, Statement
		13 December	Extraordinary^without UK				Website, Conclusions

2020s

• External link for upcoming meetings

Notable details

Cologne 1999

See also: Saint-Malo declaration. The European Council met in Cologne, Germany, on 3–4 June 1999 to consider issues after the Treaty of Amsterdam came into force. Romano Prodi presented his plan for the future Commission's work and reform program. The Council called for an EU Charter of Fundamental Rights.

The Council designated Javier Solana for the post of Secretary-General of the Council of the European Union (with Pierre de Boissieu as his deputy) and High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP). It decided on a common policy on Russia (first use of the CFSP). Adopted the declaration on Kosovo. In relation to the European Security and Defence Policy, a major element of the CFSP, the council declared that the EU "must have the capacity for autonomous action, backed up by credible military forces, the means to decide to use them, and a readiness to do so, in order to respond to international crises without prejudice to actions by NATO".

Gothenburg 2001

See also: 27th G8 summit and Terrorists: The Kids They Sentenced. The 2001 meeting of the European Council was held in the Swedish city of Gothenburg, from 14 to 16 June.

The EU Summit focused upon EU enlargement, sustainable development, economic growth and structural reform issues. The EU–US summit included a visit by U.S. president George W. Bush on 14 June. It was the first U.S. presidential visit to Sweden, and was intended as an opportunity to discuss differences on climate negotiations, WTO and Middle East issues with the EU leaders. It was marred by extensive demonstrations.

The main protests were organised by three broad coalitions, a local coalition Bush Go home that opposed U.S. foreign policy, a Sweden-based coalition Network Gothenburg 2001 which opposed Swedish membership in the EU and EMU and an international coalition Gothenburg Action 2001, a proponent of "another Europe", opponent of EU militarisation, the Schengen Agreement, and defending the public sector and the environment from becoming trade commodities and EMU. There was also a broad Iranian and a smaller anti-capitalist coalition as well as non-violent networks and Reclaim the Streets organising demonstrations and a street party.

According to the police, more than 50,000 demonstrators gathered in Gothenburg during the three days of the summit,^[35] among them a smaller number with foreign nationality. The demonstrating organisations arranged many conferences, the biggest conference (besides, of course, the EU summit itself) being Fritt forum (Free Forum) which hosted 50 lectures and seminars and was funded by the city of Gothenburg, the Swedish justice department and Sweden's foreign ministry department among others.^[35] The summit was guarded by approximately 2500 police officers.

Besides a number of encounters and skirmishes there were a number of riots. The first one occurred on 14 June after the police had surrounded and enclosed the Hvitfeldtska gymnasiet where demonstrators had been invited by the city to stay during the summit. The second occurred in the morning of 15 June in conjunction with a demonstration of 2000 participants organised by the anti-capitalist organisation, and it resulted in violent clashes with the police and damage of Gothenburg's main street Kungsportsavenyn. Later in the evening during the Reclaim the City demonstration, a police unit came under attack by demonstrators throwing projectiles. The police subsequently fired shots at the demonstrators. Three persons were injured by gunshots, one of whom was seriously injured.^[36] This was the first use of firearms against Swedish demonstrators since the Ådalen shootings in 1931.

The riots were followed by prison sentences for 64 persons convicted of criminal behaviour. In total demonstrators were sent to prison for almost 50 years. As of 2006, no police officer has been convicted of wrongdoing during the summit. One officer was tried and convicted for committing perjury during a trial against a Gothenburg demonstrator.

The riots left large areas of central Gothenburg demolished due to the violent protests of the demonstrators, as well as leaving many stores looted.^{[36] [37]}

The summit meeting of the European Union was notable because heads of states from the EU gathered in Gothenburg, and also because the American President George W. Bush visited Sweden for the first time on the day before the summit meeting. As a reaction to this, protesters from all over the world planned to gather in Gothenburg to demonstrate under different banners. The City of Gothenburg assisted the out-of-town protesters by providing living quarters in different schools around Gothenburg and a convergence center, first at Hvitfeldtska gymnasiet and later moved to Schillerska Gymnasiet.

The political background to the protests was a conjuncture of three forces. EU-criticism and opposition to membership in the EU was stronger in Sweden than anywhere else in the union. Secondly a wave of globalisation protests against neoliberalism had gained momentum after the protests during the EU Summit in Amsterdam 1997 and the WTO meeting in Seattle 1999. Anti-war and environmental concerns against the U.S. was a third factor.

The police planned and gathered their forces in anticipation of the meeting. Never before had this many heads of state met in Sweden, and thousands of police were to stand guard in Gothenburg to keep order during these three days of June 2001. The police had long prepared for disturbances and also had many different intelligence services directed at the groups participating in the planning of demonstrations. There were differing opinions amongst the police forces involved. The security police did not want the Hvitfeldtska gymnasiet to be used as they felt it was too close to the EU Summit while the Gothenburg police insisted on having the demonstrators there. American police tactics against protesters were in use such as a psycho-tactic unit that was supposed to have a dialogue with demonstrating organisations.

The police, the local authority and the different demonstration coalitions had arranged a dialogue group where they planned and discussed the demonstrations to ensure they would be as peaceful as possible.

The officers in command of the action stated that they were very pleased with how the police had served during the summit (an opinion which at the time was shared by the government). It was claimed that the police successfully had used advance information about demonstrators and undercover police officers among the demonstrators to among other things find out about the "secret" information central.

According to the police, they acted completely in accordance with the Police Law.

The Swedish Police Union strongly criticised the way the police actions had been led and managed.^[38] In its report "Chaos" – regarding the Command in Gothenburg in June 2001 it is stated that a majority of the police who were on duty during the time felt they did not have enough resources to carry out their duties in a proper manner and that orders were confusing.^[38]

Statistics:

• Crimes reported: 3,143 (as of February 2002)^[35]
• Detained (gripna) for criminal actions: 554^[39]
• Detained (omhändertagna) by the police (including following two listings): 575^[39]
  • Detained (omhändertagna) by the police in the power of §13 of the police law (aka PL13): 387^[39]
  • Detained (omhändertagna) by the police in the power of §11 of the police law (aka PL11): 188^[39]
• Arrested (anhållna): 107^[39]
• Detained while pending trial (häktade): 59^{[39] [40]}
• Number of verdicts: 38^[39]
• Number of "EU-related" (i.e. related to events during the EU-summit) persons injured (treated by hospitals in the region of Västra Götaland): 143^[35]
  • Police: 53^[35]
  • Demonstrators: 90^[35]

The total sum of the sentences following the riots during the EU summit was roughly 50 years in prison, which according to the journalist Erik Wijk is 12 times more than earlier riots.^[41] No police were convicted despite a large number of complaints.

One of the most noticed cases is the so-called information central, which was stormed by Nationella insatsstyrkan during the first day of the summit. A total of eight persons (five men, three women) were sentenced to long prison sentences after having sent out text messages urging people to go to Hvitfeldtska gymnasiet in connection with the police shutdown of the school.

The police officer in charge for the EU summit,, was accused in a trial of preventing about 100 people at the Schillerska from leaving the place for several hours, but was found innocent.^[42]

Göteborgsaktionen ("The Gothenburg Action") involved 87 organisations out of whom 33 were Swedish, 22 Danish, 9 Finnish, 5 Norwegian, 4 European and some other mainly from different Eastern European countries. Nätverket Göteborg ("The Gothenburg Network") involved over 20 organisations.

Laeken 2001

The Laeken European Council was held at the royal palace at Laeken, Belgium, on 14–15 December 2001.

The Laeken European Council dealt with:

• New measures in the area of Justice and Home Affairs: the European arrest warrant, a common definition of "terrorism", and EUROJUST
• The seats of ten new EU agencies (after hours of disagreement, the European Council failed to reach an agreement and decided to leave the decision until next year)
• Impending introduction of Euro cash (the European Council met with the Finance ministers to consider this)
• Progress of EU enlargement
• The adoption of the Laeken Declaration on the Future of Europe

The Laeken Declaration on the Future of Europe established the European Convention, presided over with former President of France, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, as President of the convention, and former Italian Prime Minister Giuliano Amato and former Belgian Prime Minister Jean-Luc Dehaene as Vice-Presidents. The convention was tasked with drafting the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, and would have about 60 members, drawn from national governments, national parliamentarians, the European Parliament, and the European Commission, and include representatives from the candidate countries. The declaration reviews the progress of European integration over the last fifty years, tracing it back to its origins in the horrors of World War II, and poses a number of questions to be answered by the convention.^{[43] [44]}

See also

• Euro summit
• President of the European Council
• 1955 Messina Conference
• 1983 Solemn Declaration on European Union
• 1992 Edinburgh Agreement

External links

• European Council official homepage
• Council meeting conclusions (2004-today) – European Council official homepage
• 50 years of summit meetings – history of European Council meetings (1961–2010) – General Secretariat of the Council of the EU
• The European Council in 2010 – annual presidential summary report of the European Council meeting activities
• The European Council in 2011 – annual presidential summary report of the European Council meeting activities
• The European Council in 2012 – annual presidential summary report of the European Council meeting activities
• The European Council in 2013 – annual presidential summary report of the European Council meeting activities
• The European Council in 2014 – annual presidential summary report of the European Council meeting activities
• List of European Councils (1961–2014) – European NAvigator

Notes and References

1. Scheduling of ordinary meetings in 2011-2020:
   I/2011 (archived)
   II/2011 (archived)
   I/2012 (archived, revised)
   II/2012 (archived)
   I/2013 (1st rev, 2nd rev, archived)
   II/2013 (archived)
   I/2014 (1st rev, 2nd rev, 3rd rev, archived)
   II/2014 (archived)
   I/2015 (archived)
   II/2015
   I/2016 (revised, archived)
   II/2016 (archived)
   I/2017
   II/2017
   I/2018
   II/2018
   I/2019
   II/2019
   I/2020
   II/2020
   
2. Scheduling of ordinary meetings in 2021-2023:
   I/2021
   II/2021
   I/2022
   II/2022
   I/2023
   II/2023
   
3. Scheduling of ordinary meetings since 2024:
   I/2024
   II/2024
   All call letters for ordinary meetings
4. Web site: The European Council: 50 years of summit meetings. General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union. 17 December 2010. 6 May 2013.
5. http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressdata/en/ec/75509.pdf
6. Web site: Forside – Danmark – European Commission. John. Smith. 27 October 2016. Danmark – European Commission. 22 November 2007. https://web.archive.org/web/20071218232312/http://www.europa-kommissionen.dk/upload/application/717193c7/pressemeddelelse_en.pdf. 18 December 2007. live.
7. Web site: Russian threats loom over historic EU summit. euobserver.com. September 2008 . 1 September 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20110605080437/http://euobserver.com/9/26662. 5 June 2011. live.
8. http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressdata/en/ec/110166.pdf
9. Web site: Herman Van Rompuy re-elected president. Council of the European Union. 1 March 2012. 5 May 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20131029185441/http://register.consilium.europa.eu/pdf/en/12/st00/st00037.en12.pdf. 29 October 2013. live.
10. Web site: The European Council in 2010. General Secretariat of the Council. 11 January 2011.
11. Web site: European Council meetings in the first semester of 2011. European Council. 8 December 2009. 28 July 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20160306051230/http://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST-3-2009-INIT/en/pdf. 6 March 2016. live.
12. Web site: European Council meetings in the second semester of 2011. European Council. 24 June 2010. 28 July 2015. http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20160515161657/http://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST%2D14%2D2010%2DINIT/en/pdf. 15 May 2016. live.
13. Web site: European Council meetings in the first semester of 2012. European Council. 17 December 2010. 28 July 2015. http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20160515161716/http://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST%2D32%2D2010%2DINIT/en/pdf. 15 May 2016. live.
14. Web site: European Council meetings in the first semester of 2012 (revised: EUCO 32/1/10 REV 1). European Council. 25 November 2011.
15. Web site: European Council meetings in the second semester of 2012. European Council. 27 June 2011. 28 July 2015. http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20160515161747/http://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST%2D20%2D2011%2DINIT/en/pdf. 15 May 2016. live.
16. Web site: European Council meetings in the first semester of 2013 (EUCO 150/2/11 REV 2). European Council. 14 December 2012. 28 July 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20160305045249/http://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST-150-2011-REV-2/en/pdf. 5 March 2016. live.
17. Web site: European Council meetings in the second semester of 2013. European Council. 25 June 2012. 28 July 2015. http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20160515161840/http://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST%2D100%2D2012%2DINIT/en/pdf. 15 May 2016. live.
18. Web site: European Council meetings in the first semester of 2014 (EUCO 231/3/12 REV 3). European Council. 3 February 2014. 28 July 2015. http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20160515161851/http://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST%2D231%2D2012%2DREV%2D3/en/pdf. 15 May 2016. live.
19. Web site: European Council meetings in the second semester of 2014. European Council. 3 July 2013. 28 July 2015. http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20160515161905/http://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST%2D156%2D2013%2DINIT/en/pdf. 15 May 2016. live.
20. Web site: Euro Summit (24 October 2014) – Annotated Draft Agenda. General Secretariat of the Council. 26 September 2014. 17 October 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141017083828/http://www.parlament.gv.at/PAKT/EU/XXV/EU/03/94/EU_39488/imfname_10496391.pdf. 17 October 2014. live.
21. Web site: European Council, 09-10/03/2017 – Main results. Council of the European Union. 5 May 2017.
22. Web site: European Council meetings in the first semester of 2015. European Council. 20 December 2013. 28 July 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20160305050150/http://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST-251-2013-INIT/en/pdf. 5 March 2016. live.
23. Web site: President Donald Tusk convenes a Euro Summit on Greece Monday 22 June at 19h00. General Secretariat of the Council. 18 June 2015.
24. Web site: Invitation letter by President Donald Tusk to the Euro Summit. General Secretariat of the Council. 6 July 2015.
25. News: Non-euro states should take part in euro reform talks - EU's Tusk. 21 October 2017. Reuters. https://web.archive.org/web/20171021115525/https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-eurozone-reform-tusk/non-euro-states-should-take-part-in-euro-reform-talks-eus-tusk-idUKKBN1CQ0CI. 21 October 2017. dead.
26. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec/2019/1135/oj European Council Decision (EU) 2019/1135 of 2 July 2019 electing the President of the European Council
27. Web site: List of presidencies of the Council of the European Union. 27 November 2023.
28. News: Orban vetoes EU's €50 billion aid for Ukraine. obozrevatel.com. Maryna Lisnychuk. 15 December 2023. 15 December 2023.
29. Web site: EU leaders set for special summit on February 1. Politico. 18 December 2023. 21 December 2023.
30. Web site: European Semester 2024 - Roadmap. Council of the European Union. 1 December 2023. 29 December 2023.
31. Web site: Meetings of the European Council in the first semester of 2024. Council of the European Union. 16 January 2024. 16 January 2024.
32. Web site: European Council’s Conclusions to Address EU-Turkey Relations and the Cyprus problem. To Vima. 9 April 2024. 13 April 2024.
33. Web site: EU leaders to demand sweeping competitiveness drive at summit. Reuters. 9 April 2024. 13 April 2024.
34. Web site: Meetings of the European Council in the second semester of 2024. Council of the European Union. 8 May 2024. 28 May 2024.
35. Web site: Händelserna i samband med Europeiska rådets möte i Göteborg den 14–16 juni 2001 . . Gothenburg 2001 – Report from the Gothenburg Committee (SOU_2002:122) . sv . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20070926224151/http://www.regeringen.se/content/1/c4/38/16/36db93cc.pdf . 26 September 2007 .
36. Web site: SOU_2002:122 . . 20 November 2006 . sv . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20070929105735/http://www.regeringen.se/content/1/c4/38/16/722e0059.pdf . 29 September 2007 .
37. News: Många oskyldiga drabbades . . 10 June 2011 . sv.
38. "Chaos" – Regarding the Command in Gothenburg in June 2001 ("Kaos" – om kommenderingen i Göteborg juni 2001)https://web.archive.org/web/20071006205039/http://www.polisforbundet.se/Texteditor/DisplayAttachment.aspx?id=2048 (Retrieved 20 November 2006) is an investigation conducted by The Swedish Police Union (Polisförbundet) which is compiled from a questionnaire sent to 1800 police officers who were on duty during the events of the 2001 EU summit in Gothenburg. Its summary reads: "The picture of the command during the EU summit can be summarized in one word: Chaos. Lack of education, lack of materiel and communication, as well as confusing orders and an inner chaos within the police."
39. National Police Board's evaluation of the EU command in Gothenburg in 2001 Web site: Archived copy . 2008-04-09 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20080409164241/http://www.polisen.se/mediaarchive/4347/3473/gbgrapport.PDF . 2008-04-09 . (Swedish) Retrieved 20 November 2006.
40. Please note some problems translating Swedish judicial terms such as gripa, omhänderta and anhålla into English. While the terms gripna, omhändertagna and anhållna all translate to arrested or detained, in Swedish judicial language they have different value, anhållna being the gravest form of arrest, in fact the only form where the detainee is under the suspicion of committing (a) criminal act(s). Also note the difference between only being detained (gripen, as under §11 and §13 of the Swedish police law) and being detained while pending trial.
41. Book: Wijk, Erik . Erik Wijk . 2003 . Orätt: rättsrötan efter Göteborgshändelserna . Stockholm . Ordfront . 91-7037-003-6 . sv . Page needed.
42. News: Jaldung friad i hovrätten . . 23 November 2004 . sv.
43. https://web.archive.org/web/20050316001119/http://www.eu2001.be/VE_ADV_PRESS/detail.asp?cat_code=AA&item_id=2165&sess=69789417&lang=en&reference=12-01.02-01& EU2001.be
44. http://ue.eu.int/Newsroom/LoadDoc.cfm?MAX=1&DOC=!!!&BID=76&DID=68758&GRP=4056&LANG=1 "Press Releases, Council of the European Union"