The Agriculture and Fisheries Council is, together with the General Affairs and External Relations Council and the Ecofin Council, one of the Council's oldest configurations. Once a month, it brings together the Ministers for Agriculture and Fisheries and the European Commissioners responsible for agriculture and rural development, fisheries and maritime affairs, as well as consumer health and protection.

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Committee responsible for:

1. the multiannual financial framework of the Union's revenue and expenditure and the Union's system of own resources;
2. Parliament's budgetary prerogatives, namely the budget of the Union as well as the negotiation and implementation of interinstitutional agreements in this field;
3. Parliament's estimates according to the procedure defined in the Rules;
4. the budget of the decentralised bodies;
5. the financial activities of the European Investment Bank;
6. the budgetisation of the European Development Fund, without prejudice to the powers of the committee responsible for the ACP-EU Partnership Agreement;
7. financial implications and compatibility with the multiannual Financial Framework of all Community acts, without prejudice to the powers of the relevant committees;
8. keeping track of and assessing the implementation of the current budget notwithstanding Rule 78(1), transfers of appropriations, procedures relating to the establishment plans, administrative appropriations and opinions concerning buildings-related projects with significant financial implications;
9. the Financial Regulation, excluding matters relating to the implementation, management and control of the budget.

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Committee responsible for:

1. the institutional aspects of the European integration process, in particular in the framework of the preparation and proceedings of conventions and intergovernmental conferences;
2. the implementation of the EU Treaty and the assessment of its operation;
3. the institutional consequences of enlargement negotiations of the Union;
4. interinstitutional relations, including, in view of their approval by Parliament, examination of interinstitutional agreements pursuant to Rule 127(2) of the Rules of Procedure;
5. uniform electoral procedure;
6. political parties at European level, without prejudice to the competences of the Bureau;
7. the determination of the existence of a serious and persistent breach by a Member State of the principles common to the Member States;
8. the interpretation and application of the Rules of Procedure and proposals for amendments thereto.

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Committee responsible for:

1. the promotion, implementation and monitoring of the development and cooperation policy of the Union, notably:
   1. political dialogue with developing countries, bilaterally and in the relevant international organisations and interparliamentary fora,
   2. aid to, and cooperation agreements with, developing countries,
   3. promotion of democratic values, good governance and human rights in developing countries;
2. matters relating to the ACP-EU Partnership Agreement and relations with the relevant bodies;
3. Parliament's involvement in election observation missions, when appropriate in cooperation with other relevant committees and delegations.

The committee coordinates the work of the interparliamentary delegations and ad hoc delegations falling within its remit.

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Committee responsible for:

1. the common foreign and security policy (CFSP) and the European security and defence policy (ESDP). In this context the committee is assisted by a subcommittee on security and defence;
2. relations with other EU institutions and bodies, the UNO and other international organisations and interparliamentary assemblies for matters falling under its responsibility;
3. the strengthening of political relations with third countries, particularly those in the immediate vicinity of the Union, by means of major cooperation and assistance programmes or international agreements such as association and partnership agreements;
4. the opening, monitoring and concluding of negotiations concerning the accession of European States to the Union;
5. issues concerning human rights, the protection of minorities and the promotion of democratic values in third countries. In this context the committee is assisted by a subcommittee on human rights. Without prejudice to the relevant rules, members from other committees and bodies with responsibilities in this field shall be invited to attend the meetings of the subcommittee.

The committee coordinates the work of joint parliamentary committees and parliamentary cooperation committees as well as that of the interparliamentary delegations and ad hoc delegations and election observation missions falling within its remit.

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Committee responsible for:

matters relating to the establishment and implementation of the Union's common commercial policy and its external economic relations, in particular:

1. financial, economic and trade relations with third countries and regional organisations;
2. measures of technical harmonisation or standardisation in fields covered by instruments of international law;
3. relations with the relevant international organisations and with organisations promoting regional economic and commercial integration outside the Union;
4. relations with the WTO, including its parliamentary dimension.

The committee liaises with the relevant interparliamentary and ad hoc delegations for the economic and trade aspects of relations with third countries.

Committee responsible for:

1. the definition, promotion and protection of women's rights in the Union and related Community measures;
2. the promotion of women's rights in third countries;
3. equal opportunities policy, including equality between men and women with regard to labour market opportunities and treatment at work;
4. the removal of all forms of discrimination based on sex;
5. the implementation and further development of gender mainstreaming in all policy sectors;
6. the follow-up and implementation of international agreements and conventions involving the rights of women;
7. information policy on women.

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The Economic and Financial Affairs Council is, together with the Agriculture Council and the General Affairs Council, one of the oldest configurations of the Council. It is commonly known as the Ecofin Council, or simply "Ecofin" and is composed of the Economics and Finance Ministers of the Member States, as well as Budget Ministers when budgetary issues are discussed. It meets once a month.

The Ecofin Council covers EU policy in a number of areas including: economic policy coordination, economic surveillance, monitoring of Member States' budgetary policy and public finances, the euro (legal, practical and international aspects), financial markets and capital movements and economic relations with third countries. It decides mainly by qualified majority, in consultation or codecision with the European Parliament, with the exception of fiscal matters which are decided by unanimity.

The Ecofin Council also prepares and adopts every year, together with the European Parliament, the budget of the European Union which is about 100 billion euros.

The Eurogroup, composed of the Member States whose currency is the euro, meets normally the day before the Ecofin meeting and deals with issues relating to the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU). It is an informal body which is not a configuration of the Council.

When the Ecofin Council examines dossiers related to the euro and EMU, the representatives of the Member States whose currency is not the euro do not take part in the vote of the Council.

ECOFIN Council

European Parliament's committees are primarily responsible for preparing the legislative work for Parliament's plenary, on the basis of which it adopts legislative resolutions.

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At its sessions on Foreign Affairs, the Council deals with the whole of the Union's external action, including common foreign and security policy, foreign trade and development cooperation. A priority in recent years for the Council, in cooperation with the Commission, has been to ensure coherence in the EU's external action across the range of instruments at the Union's disposal.

Consilium: Foreign Affairs Council

Council: General Affairs

The Permanent Representatives Committee or "Coreper" (Article 207 of the Treaty establishing the European Community) is responsible for preparing the work of the Council of the European Union. It consists of the Member States' ambassadors to the European Union ("Permanent Representatives") and is chaired by the Member State which holds the Council Presidency.

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Press Office
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The Subcommittee's main responsibilities are set out in Section I(5) of Annex VII of the Rules of Procedure of the European Parliament:

'- issues concerning human rights, the protection of minorities and the promotion of democratic values in third countries: In this context the committee [on foreign affairs] is assisted by a subcommittee on human rights. Without prejudice to the relevant rules, members from other committees and bodies with responsibilities in this field shall be invited to attend the meetings of the subcommittee.'

The Subcommittee on Security and Defence is a subcommittee of the Committee on Foreign Affairs. Its responsibilities are described in the first paragraph of the Committee's mandate:

"Committee responsible for: 1. the common foreign and security policy (CFSP) and the European security and defence policy (ESDP). In this context the committee is assisted by a subcommittee on security and defence;..."