De Europese Raad van december 2014 tot en met april 2016: verslag door voorzitter van de Europese Raad Donald Tusk

Met dank overgenomen van Europese Raad i, gepubliceerd op maandag 9 mei 2016.

The European Council faced critical political challenges from December 2014 to April 2016. These included unprecedented flows of asylum seekers and irregular migrants, the need to prevent the exit of Greece from the eurozone and the imperative to find a new settlement for Britain ahead of an In/Out referendum on EU membership. European leaders also had to respond to military conflict in the neighbourhood and the threat of terrorism.

In this report, President Donald Tusk looks back at the European Council's work since he took up office on 1 December 2014, and provides his personal account of the main decisions taken by European leaders since then.

"Politics has returned to Europe, history is back, and such times need leadership and political unity…Europe is maturing at a time of crisis and hard decisions. Where many see purely negative outcomes, I am focused on the imperative to preserve the Union's major achievements - Schengen, the eurozone and the single market - during a period of instability. I will continue building consensus among EU leaders and finding unity no matter how difficult the process."

For future reference, the publication includes all European Council conclusions and selected statements from December 2014 to April 2016.

The European Council: December 2014 to April 2016