The following institutions form part of the European Union: - The European Parliament; - The Council of the European Union; - The European Commission; - The European Court of Justice (and the Court of First Instance); - The European Court of Auditors. The European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is the representative assembly for all the citizens of the European Union (EU). After elections in June 2004, the European Parliament will consist of 732 members, compared with 788 before enlargement. Since 1979, the Members of the European Parliament have been directly elected for a five-year term. The European Parliament sits in Strasbourg for the 12 monthly plenary sessions; the rest of the meetings are held in Brussels. The European Parliament has the following responsibilities: -The European Parliament shares with the Council the power to legislate. The most common procedure for EU legislation is ‘co-decision’, where the Council and the Parliament are on an equal footing in passing legislation proposed by the Commission. In some policy fields, however, Parliament merely gives its opinion. -The European Parliament shares budgetary power with the Council by approving the annual budget. Through its control of the budget Parliament can influence EU policy. The budget does not come into force until it has been signed by the President of the European Parliament. Parliament can reject the budget, compelling the budgetary procedure to restart from the very beginning. -The European Parliament exercises control over all EU activities. It plays an essential role in the appointment of the Commission and can ask the Commission and Council written and oral questions. The Council of the European Union The Council of the European Union (the Council of Ministers) is composed of ministers from the member states. The configuration of the Council varies, depending on the matters under discussion. Nevertheless, the Council remains a single institution. The Council members are politically answerable to their national parliaments. The Council has the following responsibilities:
- The Council is the main decision-making body of the European Union, usually legislating jointly with the European Parliament on a wide range of Community issues; - The Council coordinates the broad economic policies of the member states; - The Council concludes, on behalf of the Community, international agreements with one or more states or international organisations; - The Council and the European Parliament constitute the budgetary authority that adopts the Community’s budget; - The Council defines and implements the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy, based on guidelines set by the European Council; - The Council coordinates the actions of member states and takes measures in the area of police and judicial cooperation in criminal matters. The Presidency of the Council is held for six months by each member state on a rotational basis. The decisions of the Council are prepared by the Permanent Representatives Committee (COREPER). The Council is assisted by a General Secretariat. The European Commission The European Commission is the politically independent institution that represents and upholds the interests of the EU as a whole. Members of the Commission are committed to acting in the interests of the Union as a whole and may not take instructions from national governments. A new Commission is appointed every five years after elections to the European Parliament. The Commission is politically answerable to Parliament, which has the power to dismiss it by adopting a motion of censure. The Commission attends all the sessions of the European Parliament, where it must clarify and justify its policies. It also replies regularly to written and oral questions posed by Members of the European Parliament. The Commission proposes legislation, policy and programmes of action and is responsible for implementing the decisions of the European Parliament and the Council. The Commission has four main tasks: -to propose legislation to the European Parliament and the Council; -to manage and implement EU policies and the budget; -to enforce European law (with the Court of Justice); -to represent the European Union on the international stage. Since it was founded, the Commission has been composed of two Commissioners from each of the most populous member states (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom) and one from each of the other EU countries. When 10 more countries joined the EU on 1 May 2004, the number of Commissioners rose to 30. From the date when the 2004-2009 Commission takes office (1 November 2004), there will be only one Commissioner per member state. When the Union has 27 members, the number of Commissioners will be reduced by a unanimous decision of the Council. The European Court of Justice Since enlargement, the European Court of Justice, located in Luxembourg, has had 25 judges and 8 advocates-general. They are appointed by joint agreement of the governments of the member states for a six-year term, after which they may be reappointed. The judges select one of their number to be President for three years. The President directs the work of the Court and presides at hearings and deliberations of major formations of the Court. The advocates-general assist the Court in its task. They deliver, in open court and with complete impartiality and independence, opinions in all cases brought before the Court. It is the responsibility of the Court of Justice to ensure that the law is observed in the interpretation and application of the Treaties and of the legislation adopted by the competent Community institutions. To enable it to carry out that task, the Court has wide jurisdiction to hear various types of action. Another important task of the Court is to give judgment on the interpretation of Community law in the case of a request for a preliminary ruling: national courts may - and sometimes must - ask the Court for advice on the interpretation or validity of a law. This advice is given in the form of a preliminary ruling. The Court of First Instance The Court of First Instance, created in 1989, is an independent court attached to the Court of Justice. Together, they form a single institution.Since enlargement, the Court of First Instance has had 25 judges appointed for a six-year term by common accord of the governments of the member states. The judges elect their President from among their number for a renewable three-year term. The President directs the work of the Court of First Instance. There are no advocates-general attached to the Court of First Instance. In certain cases, however, the duties of advocate-general may be carried out by a judge designated for that purpose. The Court gives rulings at first instance. Since 1994, it has heard all actions, regardless of subject matter, brought by individuals and undertakings against acts of the EU institutions, committed against them or which directly and individually affect them. All cases heard at first instance by the Court of First Instance may be subject to appeal to the Court of Justice. The creation of the Court of First Instance instituted a legal system on two levels of jurisdiction. The European Court of Auditors The European Court of Auditors, located in Luxembourg, has the task of checking all the revenue and expenditure of the European Union. The Court of Auditors examines the accounts of all the bodies set up by the Community, insofar as the relevant constituent instrument does not preclude such an examination. The Court also checks that EU revenue and expenditure have been dealt with in a lawful and regular manner and also whether financial management has been sound. It draws attention to any irregularities in its reports. The Court of Auditors draws up an annual report after the close of each financial year. Since enlargement, the Court of Auditors has had 25 members. The members are appointed for a six-year term by a unanimous decision of the Council after consultation with the European Parliament. Financial bodies of the European Union The European Central Bank The European Central Bank (ECB), located in Frankfurt, was officially established on 30 June 1998. Since 1 January 1999, the ECB has been responsible for implementing European monetary policy as defined by the central banks of the member states. The ECB and the national central banks together make up the European System of Central Banks (ESCB). The main tasks of the ECB are: - to maintain price stability in order to protect the European economy against inflation; - to define and implement the monetary policy of the euro area; - to conduct foreign exchange operations and to hold and manage official foreign reserves of the countries of the euro area; - to issue bank notes in the euro area; - to promote the smooth operation of payment systems; - to collect the necessary statistical information either from national authorities or directly from economic agents, e.g. financial institutions; - to review developments in the banking and financial sector and to promote a smooth exchange of information between the ESCB and supervisory authorities. The European Investment Bank The European Investment Bank (EIB), located in Luxembourg, was set up in 1958 to finance projects that promote the objectives of the European Union. The EIB is non-profit-making and it is financed through borrowing on the financial markets and by the bank’s shareholders - the member states of the European Union. The EIB is an autonomous institution. It makes its own borrowing and lending decisions purely on the merits of each project and the opportunities offered by the financial markets. Each year, it presents a report on all its activities. The bank cooperates with other EU institutions. Its representatives may take part in committees of the European Parliament, and the President of the EIB may attend Council meetings. Consultative bodies The European Economic and Social Committee The European Economic and Social Committee (ESC), located in Brussels, was founded in 1957. It consists of representatives of various areas of economic and social activity, such as producers, farmers, transport organisations, employees, traders, craftsmen, the professions and consumers. The ESC has important tasks such as: - advising the Council, the Commission and the European Parliament; - involving civil society, both inside and outside the EU, in the process of European integration. The Committee of the Regions The Committee of the Regions (CoR), located in Brussels, represents local and regional authorities within the EU. It has two objectives: - to ensure that local and regional authorities have a say in the development of new EU legislation; - to involve the elected level of government closest to the citizens in the decision-making process. The Commission and the Council are obliged to consult the Committee of the Regions whenever new proposals are made in areas which have repercussions at regional or local level (economic and social cohesion, trans-European infrastructure networks, health, education, culture, employment policy, social policy, the environment, vocational training and transport). Outside these areas, the Commission, Council and European Parliament have the option to consult the CoR. The CoR can also draw up an opinion on its own initiative. |