General Affairs Council

The General Affairs Council (GAC, also General Council, Eng. General Affairs Council, GAC) is the formation of the Council of the European Union, which is responsible for maintaining the coherence of the other Council formations. It is chaired by the foreign minister of the country, each of which occupies the presidency.

The RAA is responsible for all matters of policy areas that are not covered by other Council formations. So he makes decisions on issues of EU enlargement or the multiannual financial framework, ie the long-term EU budget policy. He also decides on contentious issues, which is another Council formation responsible. The meetings of the RAA shall be prepared by the Permanent Representatives Committee II.

The RAA was refurbished in 2009 by the Treaty of Lisbon, after the common foreign and security policy from the jurisdiction of the old Council for General Affairs and External Relations ( RAA / AB) was spun. This is since the new Council is responsible for Foreign Affairs.

Composition

The General Council shall be composed of one high-level representative from each Member State together. In many cases this is the foreign minister of the country; However, some Member States have their own Minister for Europe. However, it also happens that countries can be represented in each session only by a Secretary or a senior official, as its Permanent Representative to the EU.

Is managed by the Council in each case by the representative of the country holding the six-monthly rotating presidency. Mid-June suggested the representatives of Poland, Denmark and Cyprus, which until December 2012 to take the presidency from July 2011, before that in the future each of the leaders of this country should chair the meetings of the General Council.