Trilogues in Council: disrupting the diplomatic culture?

Figures & data

Table 1. Council trilogue practices.

Mandating	How is the mandate prepared?	Through coordination at working group and Coreper-level either through the use of footnotes and/or bilateral meetings between the presidency and individual member states
Monitoring	What does the presidency formally report back to the Council during negotiations	The presidency reports back to Coreper and the relevant working party after each trilogue meeting on the progress made
	Which trilogue documents are made available to other national delegations?	The updated four-column document after each trilogue meeting
Sanctioning	Can the presidency be sanctioned if they step out of line?	Yes, by the Council voting down the trilogue compromise (happens rarely)

Figure 1. An example of the footnote system. Source: Council of the European Union (2001).

Council of the European Union. (2001). Text of the Presidency to the Working Party on Financial Services (collateral) on ‘Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on financial collateral arrangements’. 6 November 2001. Interinstitutional file 2001/0086.

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