Der Europäische Rat zwischen 1974 und 2024: Epochen der Veränderung

This article is a proposal to distinguish major periods in the history of the European Council since its founding in 1974: the period before, starting with the European Coal and Steel Community (1951–1974); then its informal incubation period (1974–1986) with the European Council still outside the treaties; thereafter the period of the five treaty reforms (1986–2007), the heyday of the European Council; finally, the period of crisis (2008–2024) in which the competitive cooperation between the European Council and the European Commission has been essential.