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SUMMITS AND THE EUROPEAN COUNCIL (1961-1995)

This is a guide to the documents on AEI-EU relating to meetings of the Heads of State or Government and the European Council. It covers not only the conclusions and communiques issued at the end of the meetings but also the policy documents presented for the meetings whenever possible. Not every document is covered as some were confidential and were not available. It is also possible that in the vast array of EU documents some have been overlooked. The AEI-EU editors would appreciate any contributions to making this guide as complete as possible.

Prior to the first summit, there were a series of bilateral contacts betweens Heads of State or Government starting with the De Gaulle/Adenauer meeting at Rambouillet on July 29-30, 1960. These meetings covered a range of topics including political unification, direct election of the European Parliament, the EEC/EFTA split and defense issues.

**NOTE**: A few of the titles listed below are not yet available on the AEI. If the title is underlined, it is available - if it is not underlined, it will be available as soon as we can get it uploaded.

SUMMIT MEETINGS: Heads of State or Government (1961-1974)

PARIS, 10-11 February 1961.


BONN, 18 July 1961. Communique.


ROME, 29-30 May 1967. Communique.


THE HAGUE, 1-2 December 1969.

Dossier: background on the meeting, address by Commission President Jean Rey to the Parliament, the memorandum of the Commission of November 19, the final communique, report of the Dutch government, the resolution adopted by the Parliament on November 3, and the opening statements at the meeting.


PARIS, 19-21 October 1972.

Related documents:


COPENHAGEN, 14-15 December 1973.

Related documents:


PARIS, 9-10 December 1974

Related documents:


THE EUROPEAN COUNCIL (1975-1995)

At the 1994 Paris meeting, a new format for meetings of the Heads of State or Government was agreed upon, and the term "Summit Conferences" was replaced by the term European Council. The Single European Act of 1986, amending the Treaties, gave formal status to the European Council. Article 2 of the Single Act provides that the Heads of States or Government, assisted by Ministers of Foreign Affairs and a Member of the Commission, would meet at least twice a year. Since 1989, the President of the European Parliament has been invited to attend.

The AEI-EU includes "summit" documents through 1995. Starting in 1996, reports on the meetings of the European Council can be found electronically in:

Other sources of information for earlier years to the present are:
  • RAPID, the press release database of the European Commission.
  • Summit Archives offered by the European Parliament.

DUBLIN, 10-11 March 1975

Related documents:


BRUSSELS, 16-17 July 1975.

Related documents:


ROME, 1-2 December 1975.

Dossier: Text of the conclusions and text of the Declaration of Rambouillet of 17 November 1975.

Related Documents:


LUXEMBOURG, 1-2 April 1976.

Dossier: Conclusions.

Related Documents:


BRUSSELS, 12-13 July 1976.

Dossier: Conclusions.


THE HAGUE, 29-30 November 1976.

Dossier: Conclusions and background information on Community relations with Japan.

ROME, 25-27? March 1977.

Dossier: Conclusions, statement by James Callaghan, President of the European Council, communication on steel.

LONDON, 29-30 June 1977.

Dossier: Conclusions, press summary, organization of European Council meetings.


BRUSSELS, 5-6 December 1977.

Dossier: Conclusions, summary of the 1977 annual reports, summary of the European Foundation report, statement by Prime Minister James Callaghan.

Related documents:


COPENHAGEN, 7-8 April 1978.

Dossier: Conclusions, statement by European Parliament President Emilio Colombo, statement by European Commission President Roy Jenkins, article on Community-Japanese relations.

BREMEN, 6-7 July 1978.

Dossier: Conclusions.

BRUSSELS, 4-5 December 1978.

Dossier: Conclusions, preparation and follow-up reactions.

Related documents:


PARIS, 12-13 March 1979.

Dossier: Conclusions and follow-up statements.

Related Documents:


STRASBOURG, 21-22 June 1979.

Dossier: Conclusions and follow-up statements.

Related Documents:


DUBLIN, 29-30 November 1979.

Dossier: Conclusions and follow-up.

Related Documents:


LUXEMBOURG, 17-18 April 1980.

Dossier: Conclusions, background, documents, and post-Summit statements.

Related documents:

Post-summit documents:


VENICE, 12-13 June 1980.

Dossier: Conclusions, background, results, follow-up statements.

Related Documents:


LUXEMBOURG, 1-2 December 1980.

Dossier: Conclusions, background and results.

Related documents:

MAASTRICHT, 23-24 March 1981.

Dossier: Conclusions, summary, results, reactions.

Related documents:

LUXEMBOURG, 29-30 June 1981.

Dossier: Conclusions, summary, results, Mandate of May 30, statement by Lord Carrington at the European Parliament.

Related documents:


LONDON, 26-27 November 1981.

Dossier: Conclusions, summary, results, reactions.

Related Documents:

BRUSSELS, 29-30 March 1982.

Dossier: Conclusions, summary, results, reaction.

Related documents:

BRUSSELS, 28-29 June 1982.

Dossier: Conclusions, summary, results, reaction.

Related documents: Post-summit documents:

COPENHAGEN, 3-4 December 1982.

Dossier: Conclusions, summary, results, reactions.

Related documents:


BRUSSELS, 21-22 March 1983.

Dossier: Conclusions, summary, results, reactions.

Related documents:


STUTTGART, 17-19 June 1983.

Dossier: Conclusions, summary, results, reactions, statement by Helmut Kohl, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany.

Related documents:


ATHENS, 4-6 December 1983.

Dossier: Preparations, summary, reactions, outline of proposals on agriculture.

Related documents:

BRUSSELS, 19-20 March 1984.

Dossier: Preparations, conclusions, summary, reactions, statements by Margaret Thatcher, Prime Minister of the UK, and Helmut Kohl, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany.

Related documents:


FONTAINEBLEAU, 25-26 June 1984.

Dossier: Conclusions, summary, results, reactions, European passport.

Related documents:


DUBLIN, 3-4 December 1984.

Dossier: Conclusions, summary, results, reactions, conclusions on budgetary discipline, statement by Gerret Fitzgerald.

Related documents:


BRUSSELS, 29-30 March 1985.

Dossier: Conclusions, summary, reactions.

Related documents:


MILAN, 28-29 June 1985.

Dossier: Conclusions, summary, reactions.

Related documents:


LUXEMBOURG, 2-3 December 1985.

Dossier: Conclusions, summary, reaction.

Related documents:


THE HAGUE, 26-27 June 1986.

Dossier: Conclusions, summary, reactions. Related documents:


LONDON, 5-6 December 1986.

Dossier: Conclusions, summary, reactions.

Related documents:

BRUSSELS, 29-30 June 1987.

Dossier: Conclusions, summary, reactions, background paper on the Commission communication The Single Act: A new frontier.

Related documents:

COPENHAGEN, 4-5 December 1987.

Dossier: Preparations, conclusions, follow-up, press conference by European Parliament President Lord Plumb.

Related documents:


BRUSSELS, 11-13 February 1988.

Dossier: Conclusions, joint Council Presidency/Commission press conference.

HANOVER, 27-28 June 1988.

Dossier: Conclusions, press conference by Commission President Jacques Delors.

Related documents:

RHODES, 2-3 December 1988.

Dossier: Conclusions. Related documents:

MADRID, 26-27 June 1989.

Dossier: Conclusions, press conference of Commission President Jacques Delors.

Related documents:


PARIS, Informal Meeting, 18 November 1989.

Dossier: Summary of the meeting, summary of the Paris meeting of the G-7, 14-16 July 1989.

STRASBOURG, 8-9 December 1989.

Dossier: Conclusions.

Related documents:


DUBLIN, 28 April 1990.

Dossier: Summary and conclusions, press conference European Commission President Jacques Delors, statement of European Council President Charles Haughey.

Related documents:


DUBLIN, 25-26 June 1990.

Dossier: Conclusions.

Related documents:


ROME, 27-28 October 1990.

Dossier: Conclusions.

Related documents:


ROME, 14-15 December 1990.

Dossier: Conclusions, press conference of European Commission President Jacques Delors.

Related documents:


LUXEMBOURG, 8 April 1991.

Dossier: Summary of the meeting.

LUXEMBOURG, 28-29 June 1991.

Dossier: Conclusions.

Related Documents:


MAASTRICHT, 9-10 December 1991.

Dossier: Conclusions.

Related documents:


LISBON, 26-27 June 1992.

Dossier: Conclusions.

Related documents:


BIRMINGHAM, 16 October 1992.

Dossier: Conclusions.

EDINBURGH, 11-12 December 1992.

Dossier: Conclusions.

Related documents:


COPENHAGEN, 21-22 June 1993.

Dossier: Conclusions.

Related documents:


BRUSSELS, 29 October 1993.

Dossier: Conclusions.

BRUSSELS, 10-11 December 1993.

Dossier: Conclusions.

Related documents:


CORFU, 24-25 June 1994.

Dossier: Conclusions.

Related documents:


ESSEN, 9-10 December 1994.

Dossier: Conclusions.

Related documents:


CANNES, 26-27 June 1995.

Dossier: Conclusions.

Related documents:


MADRID, 15-16 December 1995.

Dossier: Conclusions.

Related documents: