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various configurations , the "General Affairs", "Economic and Financial Affairs" and "Agriculture" Councils meet once a month, whilst the others meet two to four times a year, depending on the urgency of the subjects tackled. The most common voting procedure provided for in the Treaty is qualified majority voting.The threshold for qualified majority voting is 62 votes out of 87 (71% of all votes). The votes of the Member States are weighted according to population and adjusted in favour of the less populous countries in the following way: Germany, France, Italy and the UK have 10 votes; Spain has 8; Belgium, Greece, the Netherlands and Portugal have 5; Austria and Sweden 4; Denmark, Ireland and Finland 3; Luxembourg 2.
The President of the Council plays a very active role in organizing its work and chairs the meetings. He or she has an important role in promoting legislative and political decisions and as an arbiter between the Member States, brokering compromises
The Presidency is assisted by the General Secretariat, which prepares and ensures the smooth functioning of the Council's work, at all levels. Since 18 October 1999, Mr Javier Solana has been the Secretary-General/High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP). In addition to his role as head of the General Secretariat, Mr Solana, as High Representative of the CFSP, assists the Council in drafting, formulating and implementing political decisions and, where necessary, pursuing political dialogue on the Council's behalf with third countries. The Secretary-General is assisted by a Deputy Secretary-General in charge of managing the General Secretariat.
European Commission
The European Commission embodies and upholds the general interest of the Union. The President and Members of the Commission are appointed by the Member States after they have been approved by the European Parliament.
The Commission is the driving force in the Union's institutional system:
It has the right to initiate draft legislation and therefore presents legislative proposals to Parliament and the Council;
As the Union's executive body, it is responsible for implementing the European legislation (directives, regulations, decisions), budget and programmers adopted by Parliament and the Council;
It acts as guardian of the Treaties and, together with the Court of Justice, ensures that Community law is properly applied;
It represents the Union on the international stage and negotiates international agreements, chiefly in the field of trade and cooperation.
European Commission's Central Library
Brussels,Belgium
Seat, composition, role and organization of work
The European Commission embodies the general interests of the European Union and acts as a
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