"the Prime Directive is not just a set of rules. It is a philosophy, and a very correct one."
(i.imgur.com)
Yeah, I'm sure the full PD is riddled with case studies and examples of what sorts of decisions Starfleet captains can unilaterally make without specific approval from the Federation Council.
And of course, the Council seems to be able to order Starfleet to override the PD if they want to.