The European Council in 2020 : overview of dynamics, discussions and decisions

The onset of the coronavirus pandemic in early 2020 affected the work of the European Council in many ways. One was operational. The European Council switched in March from in-person meetings to video-conferencing. During the year, the European Council held eight video-conferences and met five times in person. Meeting via video-conference, notably in March-April, during the first wave of the pandemic, and in October-November, during the second wave, allowed the European Council to apply itself immediately to damage control and crisis management. Going beyond immediate concerns, the European Council addressed the immense challenge of socio-economic recovery. In what was by far the most consequential development for the EU in 2020, the Union's Heads of State or Government negotiated a momentous agreement for an ambitious recovery fund linked to the new Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for 2021-2027. The complex and contentious negotiations on the MFF and the recovery fund, culminating in an epic special summit in July, will forever be remembered in the history of the European Council. So will the lingering dispute over rule of law conditionality, which, although in principle resolved by the end of the year with respect to the financial package, remained a deeply divisive issue among EU leaders. Despite the pressure of Covid-19 related business, EU leaders had to address other issues in 2020, such as climate change and external affairs. Relations with China, Russia and Turkey, in particular, required the European Council's attention. So did relations with the United Kingdom, which became a third country after it left the Union at the end of January.