Editing European Council (section)

==Powers and functions==
The European Council is an official [[Institutions of the European Union|institution]] of the EU, described in the [[Lisbon Treaty]] as a body which "''shall provide the Union with the necessary impetus for its development''". Essentially it defines the EU's policy agenda and has thus been considered to be the motor of [[European integration]].<ref name="seeToL"/> Beyond the need to provide "impetus", the council has developed further roles: to "settle issues outstanding from discussions at a lower level", to lead in foreign policy&nbsp;— acting externally as a "collective [[Head of State]]", "formal [[ratification]] of important documents" and "involvement in the negotiation of the [[Treaties of the European Union|treaty changes]]".<ref name="Europa Council"/><ref name="Dragoman"/>

Since the institution is composed of national leaders, it gathers the executive power of the member states and has thus a great influence in high-profile policy areas as for example [[Common Foreign and Security Policy|foreign policy]]. It also exercises powers of appointment, such as appointment of [[President of the European Council|its own President]], the [[High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy]], and the [[President of the European Central Bank]]. It proposes, to the [[European Parliament]], a candidate for [[President of the European Commission]]. Moreover, the European Council influences police and justice planning, the composition of the commission, matters relating to the organisation of the rotating Council presidency, the suspension of membership rights, and changing the voting systems through the [[Passerelle Clause]]. Although the European Council has no direct legislative power, under the "emergency brake" procedure, a state outvoted in the [[Council of Ministers (European Union)|Council of Ministers]] may refer contentious legislation to the European Council. However, the state may still be outvoted in the European Council.<ref name="Constitution info"/><ref>{{cite web|last=Peers|first=Steve|title=EU Reform Treaty Analysis no. 2.2: Foreign policy provisions of the revised text of the Treaty on the European Union (TEU) |publisher=[[Statewatch]]|date=2 August 2007|url=http://www.statewatch.org/news/2007/aug/eu-reform%20treaty-csfp1-2-2.pdf|access-date=26 September 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071009160928/http://www.statewatch.org/news/2007/aug/eu-reform%20treaty-csfp1-2-2.pdf|archive-date=9 October 2007|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Peers|first=Steve|title=EU Reform Treaty analysis 1: JHA provisions|publisher=[[Statewatch]]|date=2 August 2007|url=http://www.statewatch.org/news/2007/aug/eu-reform-treaty-jha-analysis-1.pdf|access-date=26 September 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071009160801/http://www.statewatch.org/news/2007/aug/eu-reform-treaty-jha-analysis-1.pdf|archive-date=9 October 2007|url-status=live}}</ref> Hence with powers over the supranational executive of the EU, in addition to its other powers, the European Council has been described by some as the Union's "supreme political authority".<ref name="Europa Council"/><ref name="Dragoman"/><ref name="Constitution info"/><ref name="How work">{{cite book|title=How does the EU work|year=2012|publisher=[[Europa (web portal)]]|isbn=9789279205125|url=http://europa.eu/abc/12lessons/lesson_4/index_en.htm|access-date=12 July 2007}}</ref>