What are the principal political institutions in the EU?
The supreme body of the EU is the European Council, composed of the heads of government and the ministers of Foreign Affairs. Every six months the presidency of this council changes hands. The Council meets four times per year in summits, during which the main axes of political coordination are agreed on, for both home affairs and foreign policy. These principles are transformed into laws by the Council of Ministers known as the Council. The Council is divided into various sub-groups: the Agriculture Council, responsible for the Common Agriculture Policy; the Council of ministers of economics and finance (EcoFin); the Council of ministers of foreign affairs, etc. Decisions are taken either unanimously (there is a power of veto) or the system of qualified majority voting can be used (states have a weight proportional to their size). Decisions are made in secret.
