# Council of the European Union

- Link: https://euemployment.eu/glossary/council-of-the-european-union/
- Published: 2024-02-24T19:01:00+01:00
- Author: Ben

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.

![European Council and Council of the European Union Justus Lipsius Building in 
Brussels, Rue de la Loi 175](https://euemployment.eu/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/
European-Council-Justus-Lipsius-Building-in-Brussels.jpg)

European Council and Council of the European Union Justus Lipsius Building in Brussels,
Rue de la Loi 175

**The ‘Council of the European Union’ is one of the three main institutions of the
European Union **along with the[ European Commission](https://euemployment.eu/glossary/#European-Commission)
and the[ European Parliament](https://euemployment.eu/glossary/#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](https://euemployment.eu/glossary/european-parliament/), based
on proposals from the [European Commission](https://euemployment.eu/glossary/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](https://euemployment.eu/glossary/european-parliament/).

The ‘Council of the European Union’ is often confused with the ‘[European Council](https://euemployment.eu/glossary/#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’](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Council_of_the_European_Union).