Committee of Ministers

The Committee of Ministers is the Council of Europe's decision-making body. It is made up of the Foreign Affairs Ministers of all the Member States, or their permanent diplomatic representatives in Strasbourg.

The Committee of Ministers is both a governmental body, where national approaches to problems facing European society can be discussed on an equal footing, and a collective forum, where Europe-wide responses to such challenges are formulated.

In collaboration with the Parliamentary Assembly, it is the guardian of the Council's fundamental values, and monitors Member States' compliance with their undertakings.

The Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers rotates every six months in alphabetical order. Ireland last held the Chairmanship in 2000.