Political and Security Committee

[1] PSC, which is based in Brussels, consists of ambassadorial-level representatives from all the EU Member States and usually meets twice per week.

The main functions of the PSC are keeping track of the international situation, and helping to define EU policies within the CFSP and CSDP.

[3] PSC sends guidance to, and receives advice from the European Union Military Committee (EUMC), the Committee for Civilian Aspects of Crisis Management (CIVCOM) as well as the European Union Institute for Security Studies.

The EU command and control (C2) structure is directed by political bodies composed of member states' representatives, and generally requires unanimous decisions.

[5] The PSC replaced the previous Political Committee, which met less frequently, and consisted of representatives from the Member States' capitals rather than Brussels-based ambassadors.