Institutions of the European Union

The institutions of the European Union are the seven main groups that help make important decisions for the European Union and Euratom. These groups follow rules set in the Treaties of the European Union and European Union law. They are listed in Article 13 of the Treaty on the European Union.

The seven institutions include the European Parliament, the European Council, the Council of the European Union, the European Commission, the Court of Justice of the European Union, the European Central Bank, and the European Court of Auditors. These institutions work together to create laws, manage money, and ensure that rules are followed across Europe.

These institutions are different from advisory groups and agencies that also support the European Union. They play a key role in shaping how countries in Europe work together.

History

Further information: History of the European Union

Most of the European Union's important groups started in 1958 with the European Community. Since then, these groups have changed, with more power moving from the council to the Parliament. The commission helps balance things between them. Over time, the commission has become more responsible to the Parliament.

The first groups began in the 1950s with the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), which involved six states. The ECSC aimed to control coal and steel markets to help peace and the economy. It had an independent group called the "High Authority". Laws made by this group were checked by a Court of Justice.

Two other groups were suggested to balance the power of the High Authority. One was the "Common Assembly," made up of national parliament members. The other was the Council of Ministers, which included government leaders from each country.

Overview

The European Union has seven main groups that help make important decisions. These groups work together to guide the European Union and make sure its rules are followed.

Organisational chart

European Council	Council of the European Union	European Parliament
Provides impetus and direction	Legislative	Legislative
Based in Brussels, Belgium.	Based in Brussels, Belgium. Meets in Luxembourg, Luxembourg for the months of April, June and October.	Meets in Strasbourg, France and Brussels, Belgium. Secretariat based in Luxembourg, Luxembourg.
summit of the Heads of state or government, the President of the European Council and the President of the European Commission. gives the necessary political impetus for the development of the Union and sets its general objectives and priorities does not legislate	composed of twenty-seven national ministers (one per state) formally known as "the Council"; informally known as the "Council of Ministers" acts together with the Parliament as a legislature shares with the Parliament the budgetary power ensures coordination of the broad economic and social policy and sets out guidelines for the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) concludes international agreements	acts together with the Council (of the European Union) as a legislature shares with the Council (of the European Union) the budgetary power exerts the democratic control over the institutions including the European Commission and approves the Commission members

European Commission	Court of Justice of the European Union	European Central Bank
Executive	Judicial	Central bank
Based in Brussels, Belgium. Various departments and services hosted in Luxembourg, Luxembourg.	Based in Luxembourg, Luxembourg.	Based in Frankfurt, Germany.
is the executive submits proposals for new legislation to the Parliament and Council (of the European Union) implements policies administers the budget ensures compliance with European law ("guardian of the treaties") negotiates international agreements	ensures the uniform application and interpretation of European law has the power to decide legal disputes between member states, the institutions, businesses and individuals	is the only among the 7 institutions which also is an international entity with treaty capability in its own right forms together with the national central banks the Eurosystem and thereby determines the monetary policy of the eurozone ensures price stability in the eurozone by controlling the money supply

European Court of Auditors
Auditory
Based in Luxembourg, Luxembourg.
checks the proper implementation of the budget

List

There are three main political groups that help make decisions for the European Union. The Council of the European Union represents the governments of the member states, the European Parliament represents the citizens, and the European Commission represents what is best for the whole Union. These groups work together to create laws. The Commission prepares the laws, and then the Parliament and the Council must both agree before a law can be made.

European Parliament

Main article: European Parliament

The European Parliament shares the power to make laws and decide the budget with the Council of the European Union. It has 705 members who are elected every five years by people across Europe. The Parliament also has some special powers over the Commission that the Council does not have.

European Council

Main article: European Council

The European Council gives direction to the Union at the highest level. It is made up of the leaders of each EU country and meets four times a year to set goals and encourage unity among the countries.

Council of the European Union

Main article: Council of the European Union

The Council of the European Union is one of the main decision-making groups in the EU. It is made up of ministers from each member state, and they meet to discuss different topics, such as agriculture or foreign policy. The group that leads the Council changes every six months among the member states.

European Commission

Main article: European Commission

The European Commission is responsible for creating laws and managing the day-to-day work of the EU. It is made up of one person from each member state and works to make sure the laws are followed.

Court of Justice of the European Union

Main article: Court of Justice of the European Union

The Court of Justice of the European Union interprets EU laws and makes sure they are followed correctly. It has two parts: the Court of Justice and the General Court.

European Central Bank

Main article: European Central Bank

The European Central Bank helps control money and banking for the countries that use the euro. It works to keep prices stable and manage the eurozone’s finances.

European Court of Auditors

Main article: European Court of Auditors

The European Court of Auditors checks that money from EU taxes is spent properly. It gives a report each year to the Council and Parliament to show how the EU’s budget was used.

Acts and procedures

Main article: European Union legislative procedure

The European Union can make different kinds of laws. The strongest type is a regulation. It applies directly and everyone must follow it. Directives set goals for each country to meet, but countries can choose how to do this. A decision is a rule for a specific person or group.

Most laws are made using the ordinary legislative procedure. The European Commission makes a proposal. Then, the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union review it. They can change the proposal. If they disagree, they meet in a Conciliation Committee to find a solution. The Parliament must approve the final decision. Some special rules are used for important topics where the Parliament has less power.

Comparisons

The European Union makes decisions in a special way, but we can compare it to other countries. It is a bit like Germany, where power is shared between different levels of government, and local governments help make big decisions. This is different from places like the United States, where power is split more clearly, and local governments have less say.

The EU also has some similarities to Switzerland. Both have leaders who change every year and focus more on technical tasks than popular support. Leaders in both places are not very well known, and people don’t always vote in large numbers. Both also value local powers, need lots of translation, and choose smaller cities for important meetings.

In the EU, power to make decisions isn’t all in one place. After the Lisbon Treaty, the European Council became its own group with a leader who stays in that role for a long time. This is a bit like the system in France, where there is a President and a Prime Minister. But in the EU, the leader of the Council doesn’t have as much power as the leader of France, and the leader of the EU’s Commission has more power but less fame.

The European Parliament works more like the United States House of Representatives than the parliaments in European countries. It has bigger committees, looser political parties, and is separate from the group that makes decisions day-to-day. Unlike most parliaments, it cannot start new laws by itself, but it is very good at changing laws, with most of its suggestions being accepted.

The Council of the EU is most like the Bundesrat in Germany. Members of the Bundesrat are leaders from Germany’s local governments and can be called back by them. They vote as a group for their state, not as individuals, and each state has different voting power based on its size. The leader of the Bundesrat changes every year, like in the EU, but unlike the EU, the Bundesrat’s members stay the same no matter what topic is being discussed. Both groups face similar questions about how much power leaders should have in making laws.

Locations

Main article: Location of European Union institutions

The European Union’s important groups are in four different cities: Brussels, Luxembourg, Strasbourg, and Frankfurt. This plan was agreed upon in 1992 and is part of the Treaty of Amsterdam. The treaty says the Commission and Council should be in Brussels, the Courts in Luxembourg City, and the Parliament in Strasbourg. Some parts of the Commission and some Council meetings happen in Luxembourg City. The Parliament also has committees and some meetings in Brussels, and its office work is done in Luxembourg City. The Central Bank is in Frankfurt, and the European Council is mainly in Brussels, though sometimes meets in other places.

Because Brussels hosts many of these groups, it has become a key place for the EU. Together with NATO, it attracts more reporters and ambassadors than Washington, D.C.. Some people criticize the way these groups are spread out, especially for the Parliament, because many people have to travel between the cities. The European Green Party estimated this arrangement costs a lot of money and creates a lot of carbon dioxide. Some prefer Brussels because many groups are already there, while others like Strasbourg for its important history in Europe.