foreign affairs council(develop) , Brussels - Main contents

date	May 19, 2014 09:30 - May 21, 2014
city	Brussels, Belgium
address	Wetstraat 175 [map]
location	Justus Lipsius building i
room	50.1
attending	C.M. (Catherine) Ashton i et al.
organisation	Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) i

The Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) is responsible for the EU's external action, ranging from foreign policy and defence to trade, development cooperation and humanitarian aid. It defines and implements the EU's foreign and security policy on the basis of the guidelines set by the European Council. Depending on the agenda, the Council is made up of Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Defence, Trade, and Development of the 28 EU Member States. As a general rule, the Foreign Affairs Council meets on a monthly basis. According to the Lisbon Treaty, the Foreign Affairs Council (including the Defence and Development Ministers configurations) is presided by the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

More info on the Council's webpage

The Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) is composed of the ministers of foreign affairs, defense and/or development of the Member States of the European Union.

In the Council of the European Union, the ministers from the EU Member States take a joint decision on the policy to be implemented within the EU. The Council is supported by the Committee of Permanent Representatives, which prepares decisions and guards the implementation and adherence of the decisions monitored by the Council.