The Education, Youth Culture and Sports (EYCS) Council is one of the configurations of the Council of the European Union, bringing together education, culture, youth, media,communication and sport Ministers of all EU member states. The Council is also attended by the European Commission and by the relevant Commissioner, meeting two or three times a year.
The Council is assisted by Education Committee that prepares the measures to be submitted and adopted, and is composed of representatives of each member state and the European Commission. Its meetings are chaired by the country that holds the presidency of the Council of the European Union. The Directorate-General for Higher Education takes part in the Committee in the field of competence of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education.
The Presidency of the Council of the European Union is exercised by each member state and rotated every six months. The presidency chairs meetings of all areas within the Council's competence, including education. In 2009, the Treaty of Lisbon established the "trios" under which the member states holding the presidency work in close cooperation with the two other member states that will also hold the presidency in the following semesters, seeting out long-term objectives abd prepapring a common agenda.
