The European Council

John Harper Publishing publish a well-known series of authoritative titles on the key institutions of the European Union. There are already titles on the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union.

These titles have now been joined by a volume on the European Council - nor formally an EU Institution but now an important part of the institutional structure of the European Union (if the Treaty of Lisbon comes into force the European Council will become a formal EU Institution).

The author, Jan Werts has written an academic thesis on the European Council and as a journalist has also reported on European Council meetings over many years.

In the book the authors explains how the European Council, from modest origins in occasional summits, has become the strategic driving force of the European Union. He casts light on how it operates, its role vis a vis the Commission, the Council of Ministers and the European Parliament, and how its role will further change under the Treaty of Lisbon, in particular with the intended appointment of a full-time President.

The key chapter headings are:

Chapter 1. The origins of the European Council

Chapter 2. The functioning of the European Council in the institutional framework of the Union

Chapter 3. The most important successes and failures of the European Council

Chapter 4. The role of the European Council in a Union of 27+ States

Chapter 5. Conclusion and policy recommendations: the European Council beyond the 2009 horizon