The GSC's staff and budget

Staff

GSC staff in figures

The General Secretariat employs 3 182 staff:

• 2 513 officials
• 418 temporary staff
• 224 contract staff
• 27 seconded national experts

The above staff numbers correspond to the data available on 1 February 2026.

Budget

The European Parliament and the Council adopt the annual EU budget.

The 2026 EU budget amounts to €192.8 billion in commitments and €190.1 billion in payments. 

The EU budget includes a specific section (section II) for the shared budget of the European Council and the Council. 

Every year, the Secretary-General submits draft estimates for the Council's expenditure. She has full responsibility for spending under section II of the budget and takes all necessary measures to ensure that it is properly managed.

The budget in figures (2026)

The shared budget of the European Council and the Council (section II) for 2026 is €739.6 million.

In 2026, section II makes up 0.38% of the EU budget. This amounts to 5.6% of the total administrative expenditure of all of the EU institutions.

The budget for the European Council and the Council is allocated to: 

• staffing (66.7%)
• direct costs related to official meetings, including interpreting and delegations' travel (14.8%)
• buildings and infrastructure (8.6%)
• IT systems, equipment and furniture (8.4%)
• other operating expenditure (1.5%)

• Read more about the EU budget