General Affairs Council

Politics of the European Union
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The General Affairs Council is a configuration of the Council of the European Union and meets once a month. Meetings bring together the Foreign Ministers of the Member States. Ministers responsible for European Affairs also participate depending on the items on agenda.

It was created in 2009 by the Treaty of Lisbon by splitting it from the "General Affairs and External Relations Council" with the other part becoming the Foreign Affairs Council. The General and Foreign Councils are the only two Councils mentioned in the EU treaties.

The General Affairs Council deals with dossiers that affect more than one of the EU's policies, such as negotiations on EU enlargement, preparation of the EU's multi-annual budgetary perspective or institutional and administrative issues. It co-ordinates preparation for and follow-up to meetings of the European Council. It also exercises a role in co-ordinating work on different policy areas carried out by the Councils other configurations, and handles any dossier entrusted to it by the European Council.

Composition[]

Configurations[]


Configuration	Area	Members	President of the Council	Curent President-in-Office
GAC	coordination of the Council work preparation of the EUCO meetings enlargement multiannual financial framework other cross-cutting policies	European affairs ministers	Presiding Member State's responsible minister	, State Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Delegated Minister for EU Affairs (SI)
GAC (Cohesion)	cohesion policy	cohesion ministers	Presiding Member State's responsible minister	, Minister without portfolio responsible for Development and European Cohesion Policy (SI)

External links[]

v t Council of the European Union
Operation	Presidency (current trio: France Czech Republic Sweden) Voting
Configurations	Agriculture and Fisheries Council Economic and Financial Affairs Council (Eurogroup) Education, Youth, Culture and Sport Council Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council Environment Council Competitiveness Council Foreign Affairs Council General Affairs Council Justice and Home Affairs Council Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council
Administration	General Secretariat Secretary-General COREPER SCA Directorates-general
Buildings	Justus Lipsius Lex Europa
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