Under the slogan 'Grasping the European Council - Raising Awareness for a Key Institution' the SUMMIT-Kick-off Conference gathered about 70 academic experts and practitioners for successful discussions about the European Council's performance, its role in the EU's political live and about problems of researching this institution.  In six working groups, participants elaborated on the following topics:

• Researching and Theorizing the European Council: New (?) Intergovernmentalism and Beyond
• Trajectory of a Key Institution: Characters and Political Changes in the European Council's History
• Taking Decision: Leadership and Consensus Building in the European Council
• Interinstitutional Relations: The European Council and the European Commission
• Managing the Economic and Financial Crisis: The European Council as gouvernement économique? 
• Managing Foreign Policy Crises: Assessing the Performance of the European Council and the Foreign Affairs Council

Exclusive insights could be gained by contributions of Herman Van Rompuy, Presdient of the European Council Emeritus, Martin Selmayr, Cabinet of the Commission, Didier Seeuws, Head of Cabinet of the previous President of the European Council, now director of the Council of the European Union and Shahin Vallee, former economic advisor to President Van Rompuy.  More detailed insights for the project, reports and pictures will be uploaded soon. Meanwhile, plesae find here the conference programme.