Not many people know the difference between the European Council, the Council of Europe and the Council of the European Union, let alone care. These unelected organisations wield a large amount of power throughout the EU and often conduct surveys about their effectiveness. One such survey revealed that an astounding 112% of British people have no idea what any of the Councils do.
The organisations themselves often become confused. For example, in 2009 the European Council had to ask the Council of Europe for advice about human rights involving a Spanish prisoner who was allegedly being tortured. The message mistakenly got sent to the Council of the European Union, who implemented a modern-day Spanish Inquisition, and caused tapas stocks to plummet.
In order to rectify the situation, the EU has set up an investigative body which will advise the EU on whether the European Council, the Council of Europe or the Council of the European Union are strictly necessary. This new body will be called the Council of European Councils, and will report to the European Council within the next year.
Any members of the public who would like to offer suggestions to the Council of European Councils are advised not to waste their effort as they will be ignored anyway. "This isn't a democracy you know!", counselled Eduardo Counsillo, Chief European Councillor of the Council of European Councils.
