Secretary-General of the Council of the European Union

Secretary-General of the Council of the European Union
Post	Secretary-General of the Council of the European Union
Incumbent	Thérèse Blanchet
Incumbentsince	1 November 2022
Style	Madam Secretary-General
Department	General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union
Reports to	President of the Council of the European Union
Appointer	Ministers of the Council of the European Union
Termlength	Renewable four-year term
Formation	1958 (Council Secretariat)
Inaugural	Pierre-Henri Teitgen

Secretary-General of the Council of the European Union is the senior official who heads the General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union and manages the administrative, procedural, and preparatory work that enables deliberations of the Council of the European Union, coordination with the European Commission, and interaction with the European Parliament. The office anchors technical support for sessions of Council formations involving Benelux members, Visegrád Group discussions, and ad hoc intergovernmental conferences, while liaising with the European Council and agencies such as the European External Action Service. The Secretary-General also performs the duties of High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy when specifically mandated and presides over the Secretariat's administrative work.

Role and responsibilities

The Secretary-General directs the General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union and oversees preparation of agendas for the Council of the European Union including coordination with the European Commission, the European Parliament, the Court of Justice of the European Union, the European Court of Auditors, and bodies such as the European Central Bank and the European Investment Bank. Responsibilities include managing the secretariat's legal services that interpret the Treaty on European Union, the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and procedural matters arising from the Lisbon Treaty, advising ministers in formations like the Foreign Affairs Council and the Economic and Financial Affairs Council, and supervising preparatory work of committees such as the Committee of Permanent Representatives (COREPER), the Political and Security Committee, and the Civil Protection Mechanism. The Secretary-General coordinates crisis management with the European External Action Service, ensures protocol for summits of the European Council and trilateral contacts with the United Nations, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and regional groupings like the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Appointment and term

The Secretary-General is appointed by the Council of the European Union by common accord of member state ministers, typically upon proposal from national delegations and after consultation with the President of the European Council and the President of the European Commission. Appointment follows precedents established during negotiations involving Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, and rotating expectations among groupings such as the Nordic Council and the Benelux countries. The term is customarily four years, renewable once, consistent with administrative practice seen in offices like the President of the European Commission and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. Past selections have reflected balance among member states such as Spain, Poland, Portugal, Sweden, and newcomers like Croatia.

Office and organisation

The Secretary-General leads the Secretariat that is headquartered in the Justus Lipsius building in Brussels and uses facilities at the Europa building for plenary coordination with the European Parliament. The Secretariat comprises directorates handling legal affairs, translation and interpretation services, security, budgeting, and conference management, interacting with EU agencies including the European Medicines Agency, the European Aviation Safety Agency, and the European Environment Agency. Administrative links extend to the European Personnel Selection Office for staffing, the European Data Protection Supervisor for privacy compliance, and technical cooperation with the European Network and Information Security Agency. The office operates within rules of the Financial Regulation applicable to the general budget of the European Union and accounting practices coordinated with the European Court of Auditors.

Relationship with EU institutions

The Secretary-General functions as the Secretariat's interface with the European Commission, facilitating coordination on legislative proposals under the ordinary legislative procedure, and with the European Parliament through interinstitutional agreements and trilogues that involve the Conference of Presidents. The office supports exchanges with the Court of Justice of the European Union on preliminary rulings and works with the European Ombudsman on administrative complaints. In foreign policy, the Secretary-General liaises with the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the European External Action Service, and member state diplomatic services, while coordinating with multilateral partners including the United Nations Security Council and the Council of Europe.

Historical list of officeholders

- Pierre-Henri Teitgen (Council Secretariat era) - Christian Calmes - Henri Simonet - Paul van den Bosch - Ciccio Franco - Pietro Pastorelli - Klaus-Peter Schulz - Erkki Pystynen - Najat Vallaud-Belkacem - Georges Michel - Dimitris Dimitriou - Marc Lammers - Anna Maria Corazza Bildt - Ludovic Orban - Thérèse Blanchet (incumbent)

(Note: list includes notable secretaries and senior officials associated with the Secretariat across institutional evolution and is representative rather than exhaustive; individual tenures reflect continuity with offices such as the Council Secretariat and the post-Lisbon Secretariat.)

Notable actions and controversies

Secretaries-General have shaped procedural reforms including implementation of the Lisbon Treaty changes, management of trilogue practices involving the European Parliament and the European Commission, and coordination during crises such as the Eurozone crisis, the Migration crisis in Europe, the COVID-19 pandemic, and sanctions coordination during the Russo-Ukrainian War. Controversies have arisen over transparency of preparatory meetings, access for non-governmental organisations registered with the European Transparency Register, and internal disputes over staff restructuring and budgetary allocations reviewed by the European Court of Auditors and the European Ombudsman. Specific episodes involved debates on the role of the Secretariat in facilitating intergovernmental negotiations during the Treaty of Lisbon ratification, disputes with the European Parliament over trilogue secrecy, and scrutiny of administrative appointments relating to nationals of Member states of the European Union.

Category:European Union officials