• 1 Early meetings


• 2 Formal Council meetings
  
  
  
  • 2.1 Of the Communities, 1975 to 1984
  
  
  • 2.2 Of the Communities, 1984 to 1993
  
  
  • 2.3 Of the European Union, 1993 to 2004
  
  
  • 2.4 Following the 2004 Enlargement, 2004 to present

The EU's 27 leaders are gathering in Brussels to chew and swallow two hot potatoes - how to respond to Irish voters' rejection of the Lisbon Treaty, a set of EU internal reforms, and to the record high oil and food prices.

Precisely one week ago, Ireland put on ice the EU's latest attempt to undergo wide-reaching institutional changes aimed at simplifying the way the 27-nation bloc is run and allowing it to absorb more new member states.

So far, EU heavyweights - France and Germany - have insisted that the ratification marathon continues. On Wednesday (18 June), the legal document was ratified by the UK parliament, bringing the overall number of countries to 19.

But one diplomat has suggested EU leaders are likely to tiptoe around the eurosceptic government of the Czech Republic, seen as the most unpredictable player when it comes to the ratification process.

EU leaders meeting in Brussels on Thursday (19 June) will spend little time discussing enlargement of the bloc, and are not expected to do more than reaffirm western Balkan countries' "European perspective" – despite greater expectations from some of the EU hopefuls.

One such country – Macedonia, an EU candidate since 2005 – has lately been indicating its readiness to start accession negotiations as soon as possible.

Macedonia had had high expectations on starting accession negotiations during Ljubljana's time at the EU helm, as Slovenia – which was part of the former Yugoslavia together with Macedonia – has made the Western Balkans' EU integration a priority of its presidency.

Moreover, not winning the announcement of a date now means that Skopje may not start negotiations this year at all, as the next EU presidency country, France, has explicitly taken Greece's side in the name row, and is not expected to put a particular emphasis on enlargement issues.

• Western Balkans
  





EU leaders will also comment on future European engagement in the Western Balkans, as the region faces crucial challenges following the failure of talks on the future status of Kosovo. The issue will be discussed at the United Nations Security Council on 19 December.




According to draft conclusions seen by EurActiv, the EU will state its "readiness to assist Kosovo in the path towards a sustainable stability, including by intensifying its preparations for an ESDP mission and for a contribution to an international civilian office as part of the international presence" and through "a clear European perspective".




However, member states are still split over how to respond to a looming unilateral declaration of independence by Kosovo. While most member states are ready to recognise an independent Kosovo, others, such as Cyprus, Greece, Slovakia and Spain remain opposed.

Die EU-Staats- und Regierungschefs haben offiziell einen neuen Vertrag unterzeichnet: Er soll die Entscheidungsprozesse in der EU vereinfachen und ihre Kompetenzen auf neue Bereiche, wie Energie und Zusammenarbeit der Justizbehörden, ausweiten. Die verspätete Ankunft des britischen Premierministers Gordon Brown warf jedoch einen Schatten auf die Unterzeichnungszeremonie.

Zum gleichen Thema:

LinksDossier:   Der ‚Vertrag von Lissabon’ [DE]

News:   EU nach Vertrag: auf ‚Anpassung an Globalisierung’ konzentrieren [DE]

Analysis:   Die Umsetzung des Vertrags von Lissabon

EU-Gipfel: Staats- und Regierungschefs treffen Vertragsvereinbarung [DE][en][fr] 

Die euopäischen Staats- und Regierungschefs haben sich am Donnerstag, den 18. Oktober 2007, auf einen neuen ’Reformvertrag’ geeinigt. Somit beenden sie zwei Jahre des Stillstands, zu dem es nach der Ablehnung des Entwurfs der EU-Verfassung 2005 gekommen war. Die Aufmerksamkeit wird sich nun bald der Ratifizierung zuwenden, da einige Länder unter Druck stehen, ein Referendum über den neuen Text abzuhalten. 

Zum gleichen Thema:

LinksDossier:   Der Reformvertrag der EU [DE]

News:   Gipfel zum EU-Vertrag: Nichts mehr zu diskutieren?

Analysis:   Der Reformvertrag und seine Folgen erklärt