The ‘Council of the European Union’ should not be confused with the ‘European Council’ as these are two distinct entities within the institutional framework of the European Union, each with its own specific role and function.

The ‘Council of the European Union’ is one of the three main institutions of the European Union along with the European Commission and the European Parliament. It is often called the ‘Council of Ministers’ or just the ‘Council’. The Council meets in 10 different configurations of 27 national ministers responsible for the particular policy under consideration.

The Council of the European Union negotiates and adopts EU laws, together with the European Parliament, based on proposals from the European Commission. It also coordinates EU countries’ policies, concludes agreements between the EU and other countries or international organisations, and adopts the annual EU budget jointly with the European Parliament.

The ‘Council of the European Union’ is often confused with the ‘European Council‘ (EUCO), the latter being composed of heads of government (prime ministers) of EU Member States and defining the general political directions and priorities of the European Union.

Read more: Wikipedia article about the ‘Council of the European Union’.