The Council of Ministers comprises the representatives of each of the 27 member states at Ministerial level, chaired by the President. The work of the Council is prepared by the two Corepers - the Committee of Permanent Representatives (Coreper II), and the Committee of Deputy Permanent Representatives (Coreper I). Their work is in turn prepared by various working groups, working parties and committees. John Grant represents the UK in Coreper II and Anne Lambert in Coreper I. The UK is represented in the working groups either by staff at UKRep or by expert officials visiting from the UK.

Antici

The Antici Group (named after its Italian founder) is made up of assistants to the Permanent Representatives and a Commission representative, a member of the Secretary-General's Private Office and a member of the Council Legal Service. The Group is responsible for deciding on the organization of Coreper II proceedings. The meeting, which usually takes place on the afternoon before Coreper, is chaired by the Presidency 'Antici'.

Members of Antici also take notes of the discussions by Heads of Government at European Councils.

Mertens Group

The Mertens Group fulfills the same role as Antici for Coreper I (Deputies). It was established in 1993.

A Points

Also known as 'A Items', these are items of business and decisions which the Council of Ministers adopts without discussion because they have already been prepared by working groups, Coreper, and in some cases another Council. They may cover issues unrelated to the Council itself e.g. Health and Safety 'A' points can be passed by the Fisheries Council. This is because the Council is indivisible.

B Points

These are the agenda items which the Council will discuss. 'Starred B points' are ones where a vote may be taken. 'False B points' are agenda items which would otherwise be 'A points' except that one or more delegations wishes to make a statement in the meeting.

If you would like to know more, see the Council working methods section on the Council Secretariat's home page.