An obscure and odd assortment of ministers in Brussels could hold the key to smooth Brexit negotiations.

The General Affairs Council (GAC), an arcane body that faded in relevance long ago and in recent years has acted mostly as a forum to prepare the ground for EU leaders' summits, will take its first major Brexit decision Monday by approving the detailed directives for the EU's Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier.

It is expected to act as a gatekeeper, formally approving crucial decisions through the Brexit negotiating process, essentially standing in for the EU27 leaders whose busy schedules and complex security requirements mean they cannot be convened as quickly or as often as the talks with the U.K. may require.

The General Affairs Council was once one of the most powerful "formations" of the Council of the European Union, overseeing major governance issues as well as foreign policy. That prominence ended in 2009 with the Lisbon Treaty, which created a separate Foreign Affairs Council. Many countries soon began sending junior ministers to GAC meetings.

With the General Affairs Council's new role in Brexit, more countries have again begun sending senior officials, including foreign ministers, European affairs ministers and deputy prime ministers. The most crucial action will still take place at European Council summits, but leaders have made clear they don't want to be embroiled in the details of Brexit.

"The fact that Brexit is such a sensitive, highly charged and complex issue makes the item in the agenda of GAC one that is quite relevant" — Louis Grech, Maltese Deputy Prime Minister

The GAC's role will include determining whether the time has arrived to ask leaders if "sufficient progress" has been made to move from one phase of the talks to the next. Its chair until the end of June, Maltese Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for European Affairs Louis Grech, will initially make those calls.

Grech said he preferred not to think of it as a largely forgotten formation of the European Council, but rather a natural venue to handle Brexit decisions.

"Neglected I don't think is the right word," he told POLITICO, arriving for a recent meeting in Brussels. "By virtue of the fact that GAC is the configuration that deals with horizontal issues and also sets the agendas for the leaders, it was the natural choice for the European leaders to put GAC in charge of the Brexit issue."

He did acknowledge, however, that Brexit gives the General Affairs Council renewed importance. "The fact that Brexit is such a sensitive, highly charged and complex issue makes the item in the agenda of GAC one that is quite relevant," Grech said.

Other officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, were more willing to acknowledge its status as an oft-forgotten panel.

"Brexit can instill some new life into GAC because it will be the sole council dealing with it and the European Council will not be able nor want to go into all the nitty gritty," said a senior official in the general secretariat of the Council of the European Union. "So yes, there's a bit of an opportunity here."

First line of defense

While one main function will be to insulate leaders from the minutiae of Brexit, it will also play a crucial role in maintaining unity among the EU27: Any divisive issues that might set off a battle among EU leaders will first be fought over by ministers in the General Affairs Council with an eye toward presenting their bosses with a compromise.

But even with more senior officials attending the meetings, there is a chance it will not be up to the task.

"In 20 years I have never heard anyone happy with the GAC, the governance doesn’t help," a former senior EU diplomat told POLITICO. "It’s too slow." The former diplomat said he had proposed requiring countries to send deputy prime ministers to the meetings so that it was clear the group had support at the highest levels of government.

One example is the General Affairs Council's responsibility for general governance issues, such as the bitter dispute between Poland and Brussels over allegations that Poland has breached EU standards on rule of law with changes to the Constitutional Court. The GAC can consider the issue but it will be the European Council that takes the big decisions.

With higher-profile ministers now planning to attend the Council's Brexit meetings, some officials also see a greater chance for contentious debate. Finland, for instance, is sending its new minister of European affairs, Sampo Terho from the nationalist Finns Party (he is a front-runner to replace the party's longtime leader, Timo Soini).

It is impossible to predict when the interests of EU countries, who have so far remained unified in the Brexit discussions, will begin to diverge. But should that happen, most likely it will first become visible in the General Affairs Council.

“If Barnier recommends starting trade talks with the U.K.,the GAC will never be able to say no” — senior EU diplomat

At the same time, officials cautioned that it will remain a mid-level broker, essentially relaying the wishes of Barnier, the EU's lead Brexit negotiator, to the European Council for consideration by national leaders. If Barnier decides it is time to move on to the next phase of talks, the General Affairs Council is unlikely to do anything other than rubber-stamp his decision.

“If Barnier recommends starting trade talks with the U.K., the GAC will never be able to say no,” a senior EU diplomat said.

Meanwhile, Brexit meetings and preparations are taking place on numerous levels, including regular gatherings of "sherpas," the emissaries of the 27 leaders in Brussels.

“Sherpas are much more relevant since they have a direct line with the prime minister, they speak face to face to the leader often without even involving other sectors of the administration,” the senior diplomat said. "GAC members, when they are top level, are foreign ministers that after the Lisbon Treaty don’t take part anymore in the European Council."

The General Affairs Council has long been accused of “arriving too early and too late at the same time,” said another senior EU diplomat.

For instance, the preparatory meeting attended by Grech on May 16 was roughly a month ahead of the European Council's June meeting — too early to influence the specific discussions; another GAC meeting will be held just a few days before the European Council — too late to really change the leaders' agenda that has already been approved in other Council formations.

Meetings on Brexit are likely to be called more frequently, on an as-needed basis. And on those days, the General Affairs Council is more likely to be standing in for the European Council, rather than laying groundwork for leaders.