European Council conclusions
Latest European Council documents
Find the documents adopted during the latest European Council meetings here:
Where can I find European Council conclusions?
European Council conclusions from 2004 onwards are available in the public register of official documents.
Conclusions prior to 2004 are available via the links below.
Please note that European Council conclusions are only available in the languages of the countries that were EU member states at the time.
What are European Council conclusions?
European Council conclusions are adopted during each European Council meeting.
They are used to identify specific issues of concern for the EU and outline particular actions to take or goals to reach. European Council conclusions can also set a deadline for reaching agreement on a particular item or for the presentation of a legislative proposal. In this way, the European Council is able to influence and guide the EU’s policy agenda.
How are European Council conclusions adopted?
Ahead of the European Council meeting, the President of the European Council draws up a first draft and subsequent revisions.
These are then discussed by member states’ permanent representatives in Brussels (Coreper 2) and by European affairs ministers meeting at the General Affairs Council and later adopted at the European Council meeting.
Conclusions are adopted by consensus between all EU member states.
This means that a good part of the conclusions will have been agreed on in the run-up to the meeting, which allows the leaders to focus on resolving any outstanding issues at the meeting.
Informal and exceptional meetings
The European Council also holds informal or exceptional meetings of heads of state or government.
Following these meetings, leaders usually adopt a statement or declaration rather than official conclusions.
These documents are not available in the public register. Those adopted since 2004 are available via the link below:
