Coreper, and why no one on the outside can hear it

Coreper, the committee of permanent representatives, prepares almost every decision ministers formally take. Most Council items are settled there and rubber-stamped later without discussion.

If you only watch ministerial meetings, you are watching the press conference, not the negotiation.

Ambassadors in Coreper have something ministers rarely have: time, continuity and a working knowledge of every file. That combination is where the real leverage sits.

Coreper II meets weekly. The agenda is public; the interesting part is which items move from B to A.