Who Decides in the Council of the European Union?*

This study presents reliable cross‐sectoral data on the relative involvement of working parties, senior committees and ministers in legislative decision‐making of the Council of the European Union. In general, the results challenge the received wisdom that ministers are hardly involved in legislative decision‐making. However, the findings also indicate that the involvement of different Council levels varies considerably across policy sectors. The study concludes with a discussion of the implications of these findings for the debate about the democratic legitimacy of Council decision‐making.