ABSTRACT
Given its prominence in the decision-making process of the European Union, the Council of Ministers is strangely elusive: it is both a permanent institution and the frequent gathering of ministers from all member states, representatives or officials. It is part of the EU’s executive (with the European Commission) and part of the EU’s legislature (with the European Parliament), but its work is less transparent than either of the other two institutions. The Council occupies the impressive Justus Lipsius buildings in the heart of the Brussels Euro-district, yet several times a year ministerial meetings take place in Luxemburg. All this may make it difficult to generalise about the Council, but it also makes for an interesting institution.
