Officially, Coreper is not a decision-making body. But those who have been inside the room say the lines are increasingly blurred in recent years. “If we’re honest, it really is a place where decisions are made,” said a second diplomat, arguing that while national leaders have to regularly rubber-stamp its actions, the speed of geopolitics means some things cannot wait months between leaders’ summits.
“There’s an increasing number of files that are too political for the expert groups but too technical for the politicians, where we need to chew through things a bit more before it goes to leaders, ” said a third diplomat. “And that’s Coreper.”
Geopolitical uncertainty
That role has become clearer since European Council President António Costa took office in 2024. He and his team have won plaudits from capitals by managing to make regular leaders’ summits one-day affairs, compared to the multi-day negotiations of the past, by agreeing on key positions among ambassadors ahead of the meetings. His chief of staff Pedro Lourtie frequently attends Coreper, as does Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s top adviser Bjoern Seibert.
At the same time, Coreper II — which historically focused on economics, home affairs and foreign relations — has now taken up issues previously the responsibility of its sister format, Coreper I, which meets to discuss specific technical files relating to policy areas. With contentious subjects like energy, climate change and red tape becoming priorities for leaders, Coreper II ambassadors now haggle over them as well.
One of the responses to the geopolitical uncertainty facing the EU is that the Commission has become involved in what were traditionally national competences, such as defense and housing policy. Coreper II is key to ensuring member countries keep a close watch on its work, without holding it up or having to wait months for leaders to meet and sign off, the diplomats said.
“When we were negotiating the U.S. trade deal, there was a Coreper constantly,” said one Commission official, bemoaning the increased scrutiny from capitals.
But, for ambassadors, having their say on key issues and avoiding Brussels going too far without a mandate from member countries is exactly the point.
“Coreper is built on two principles,” said Bartol, the Polish ambassador. “Mutual trust, and no surprises.”