FREE! Click here to Join FunTrivia. Thousands of games, quizzes, and lots more!

Quiz about Council of the European Union

Council of the European Union Trivia Quiz

This quiz is about the Council of the European Union, the main decision-making body in the EU.

A multiple-choice quiz by Beatka. Estimated time: 5 mins.

Author
Beatka

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
95,221

Updated
Jun 13 22

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Tough

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
690

This quiz has 2 formats: you can play it as a or as shown below.
Scroll down to the bottom for the answer key.

1. The Council is composed of: Hint

ministers from each member state

heads of states

prime ministers

ambassadors of the member states to the EU

NEXT>

2. The Council of the European Union may be also called: Hint

European Council

Council of Ministers

COREPER

Council of Europe

NEXT>

3. The Council has the right of the legislative initiative.

True

False

NEXT>

4. Who presides over the Council? Hint

each member state in turn, for a period of six months

the president of the Commission

each member state in turn, for a period of 12 months

the president of the European Parliament

NEXT>

5. The General Affairs Council consist of: Hint

ministers of economic affairs

ministers for general affairs

ambassadors of the member states to the EU

ministers of foreign affairs

NEXT>

6. The Council makes most of its decisions by: Hint

qualified majority voting

unanimous vote

simple majority voting

absolute majority voting

NEXT>

7. What is the name of the agreement, which refers to the Council decision-making process? Hint

Ioannina compromise

Athens compromise

Brussels compromise

Luxembourg compromise

NEXT>

8. Which Treaty stipulated, for the first time, the use of qualified majority voting (QMV) for a majority of decisions? Hint

Rome Treaty

Maastricht Treaty

Single European Act

Amsterdam Treaty

NEXT>

9. What is the acronym for the Economic and Financial Affairs Council? Hint

ECON

CEFA

EFAC

ECOFIN

NEXT>

10. Which Council official performs the function of the representative for the common foreign and security policy?
Hint

the Ambassador of the country which presides over the Council

the Deputy Secretary-General of the Council

the Secretary-General of the Council

the minister who presides over the General Affairs Council

(Optional) Create a Free FunTrivia ID to save the points you are about to earn:

Select a User ID:

Choose a Password:

Your Email:

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. The Council is composed of:

Answer: ministers from each member state

The Council consists of the ministers of the fifteen member states responsible for *the matters on the agenda*: foreign affairs, agriculture or other. Though formally a single institution, in reality it is composed of many different councils.

2. The Council of the European Union may be also called:

Answer: Council of Ministers

It is called Council of Ministers because it consists of the ministers of all member states.

3. The Council has the right of the legislative initiative.

Answer: False

The Council, just like the European Parliament, may only ask the Commission to put forward a proposal.

4. Who presides over the Council?

Answer: each member state in turn, for a period of six months

The Council is presided over for a period of six months by each member state in turn, in accordance with a pre-established rota.

5. The General Affairs Council consist of:

Answer: ministers of foreign affairs

The General Affairs Council is supposed to co-ordinate the operations of the other councils.

6. The Council makes most of its decisions by:

Answer: qualified majority voting

The most exceptional decision-making procedure within the Council is simple majority. QMV is the most common method of decision-making, used in all issues except for the most sensitive ones.

7. What is the name of the agreement, which refers to the Council decision-making process?

Answer: Luxembourg compromise

The Luxembourg compromise, reached in January 1966, brought to an end the so-called "empty chair" crisis (France refused to take its seat in the Council since July 1965). This compromise provided for maintaining the principle of unanimity, which in fact remained the main decision-making procedure within the Council for almost 20 years.

8. Which Treaty stipulated, for the first time, the use of qualified majority voting (QMV) for a majority of decisions?

Answer: Single European Act

A wider use of the QMV was necessary in order to complete quickly the single market program, because of the difficulty to achieve the unanimity. Subsequent Treaty reforms provided for even more widespread use of QMV.

9. What is the acronym for the Economic and Financial Affairs Council?

Answer: ECOFIN

ECOFIN is one of the most important councils within the Council of the European Union. It meets once a month.

10. Which Council official performs the function of the representative for the common foreign and security policy?

Answer: the Secretary-General of the Council

Since the Treaty of Amsterdam the Secretary-General of the Council acts as the representative for the common foreign and security policy.

Source: Author Beatka

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

Most Recent Scores

Apr 28 2023 : Guest 91: 6/10
Apr 21 2023 : Guest 188: 5/10

Score Distribution