Show all/Hide all

7.4.1.1. Where to find general information about these institutions?

An overall view is given in chapter 5.2 on representative democracy.

See also: Qui fait quoi dans l’Union europeenne? Guide du citoyen (“Who does what in the European Union? - A layman’s guide), Opoce, 2001, and the internet site www.info-europe.

The European Parliament (EP) is the institution which represents the citizens of the member states.  In many fields, the EP has a role as “co-legislator” beside the Council.  Also with the Council, it is the budgetary authority. It also exercises political control of the Commission

Comparison of the populations of member and candidate countries and their representation in the EP.

Copyright Promeuro – illustration 7.4.a.

Its 785 meps (of which … are for the UK) have been elected directly by the European voters (direct universal suffrage) since 1979 for a term of five years.  They do not sit by national delegation but by political groupings.

Semi-circle of the European Parliament

Its official seat is in Strasbourg but it also has offices in Brussels and Luxembourg.

Site of the EP:  www.europarl.europa.eu

7.4.1.3. The European Council

The European Council (or Summit) is comprised of the heads of state or prime ministers of the twenty-seven member countries of the European Union (EU), as well as the President of the European Commission.

It fixes the general political orientations and gives the necessary impetus to the development of the EU.  The European Council meets at least twice a year.  It is presided over by the head of state or prime minister of whatever member state is then exercising the presidency of the EU.

Internet site: www.consilium.europa.eu

7.4.1.4. The Council of Ministers

The Council of Ministers is made up of a representative of each member state at ministerial level (for instance, the Ministers of Agriculture for decisions to be taken about Common Agricultural Policy).  It is presided over by the foreign minister of whatever country is exercising the presidency of the Council at the time. All the member countries of the Union exercise this presidency for six months (“half-yearly rotation), according to an established order. Each formation of the Council by sector is presided over by the competent minister, depending on the matter being dealt with.   

The Council:

• is the legislative body of the Community:  for a wide range of community responsibilities, it exercises this legislative power in co-decision with the European Parliament (EP)
• assures the coordination of the general economic policies of the member countries;
• in the name of the Community, enters into international agreements between the former and one or more states or international organisations;
• is, jointly with the EP, the budgetary authority that decides the Community’s budget;
• takes the decisions required for the definition and implementation of common foreign and security policy, on the basis of the general guidelines defined by the European Council;
• assures the coordination of the action of the member states and adopts measures in the domain of police and judicial cooperation in criminal matters.

Its seat is in Brussels and its Secretary General is Javier Solana*, who is also the High Representative of Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP).   

Internet site: www.consilium.europa.eu

7.4.1.5. The European Commission

In complete independence, the European Commission defends the common interest of all the member countries of the Union.

In the legislative field it has the right of initiative and can therefore make legislative proposals which then pass on to the Council and the EP for a decision.

Being the executive body of the Union, the Commission ensures that common policies are implemented (examples being: the Common Agricultural Policy, the Transport Policy, the policy on research, competition); it executes the budget and administers the community programmes. For the actual carrying-out of these policies and programmes, the Commission relies very largely on the national governments.

Externally, the Commission represents the Community and conducts international relations, for instance those carried on within the framework of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).  Finally, it watches over the proper application of the provisions of the treaty and the decisions taken by the Community institutions, e.g. in the area of competition, and for this reason it is also called “the Guardian of the Treaties”.

Right from the start, the Commission had* always been composed of two nationals of the most populous member states and of one national of each of the (other?)** member states.  Since the 1st of November 2004, the college of the Commission has consisted of only one member per  member state. As from the 1st of January 2007, the Commission has been composed of twenty-seven members,  assisted by general directorates with administrative and technical roles (this is the European “civil service”).  Each commissioner is made responsible for one or more sectors (agriculture, research, education, etc.) for a term of five years.

The Commission is responsible collegially before the EP. It takes its decisions on the basis of a simple majority of the votes of its members.

Its seat is established in Brussels.

Translator’s Note:  * “had” -  the French says “has” but the composition was altered in 2004

** (other?) – I think the text needs the word “other” because it was only the smaller countries that had one commissioner.  The ones with larger populations had two.

Internet site: ec.europa.europa.eu

7.4.1.6. The European Court of Justice

The Court of Justice is the jurisdictional institutional monitoring the observance of community law and the interpretation and the application of European Treaties.  Its areas of competence cover disputes between member states, disputes between the Union and the member states, between the institutions and between private individuals and the Union.

The European Court of Justice

Video aid

It is also competent to answer questions about the interpretation of Community law put by a judge from one of the countries within the context of a dispute pending before a national court.  This “prejudicial” competence is essential to ensure that there is uniform interpretation of community law over the whole territory of the Union.  Beside the Court a tribunal was set up in in1989 charged with the task of exercising, in first instance, some jurisdictions conferred upon the Court.

The Court is composed of twenty-seven judges and eight advocates general.  The judges who make up the tribunal of first instance are appointed, subject to common agreement, by the governments of the member states for a renewable term of office of six years.  They appoint their president from among themselves.  There are no permanent advocates general, their duties being carried out in a limited number of cases by the judges themselves.

It sits in Luxembourg.
Internet site: curia.europa.eu

7.4.1.7. The European Court of Accounts

Set up by the Brussels Treaty of 22 July 1975, and coming into operation in October 1977, the European Court of Accounts was raised to the status of a European institution on the 1st of November 1993, with the entry into force of the Maastricht Treaty.

It is responsible for checking the accounts of the Community: it examines the legality and regularity of the income and expenditure of the Community budget and assures itself of good financial management.  At present the Court of Accounts has twenty-seven members, appointed for a renewable term of six years by the Council ruling unanimously.  They direct the auditing activities of the Court’s officers and draw up reports and opinions.

It is located in Luxembourg.

Site on the European Court of Accounts: www.eca.eu.int

Show all/Hide all

7.4.2.1. The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC)

Set up by the 1957 Treaty of Rome, the European Economic and Social Committee is made up of representatives of the different types of economic and social interest, divided into three groups: the workers, the employers and the other activities (farmers, “the professions”, etc.). It gives consultative opinions to the institutions, especially within the realm of legislative procedure.

Coming from the most representative national organisations, the 344 members of the ESC (between five and twenty-five members per member state, depending on its size) are proposed by the governments of the member states and appointed by the Council of the European Union for four years, this term of office being renewable.

Its premises are in Brussels.

 

Internet site: http://www.eesc.europa.eu

7.4.2.2. The Committee of the Regions (CoR)

Instituted by the Maastricht Treaty and installed on the 9^th of March 1994, the Committee of the Regions represents the interests of the local and regional communities of the European Union, who can thus have a say in the drawing up and application of Community policies.

A consultative body, it must be consulted in several areas: the environment, vocational training, cross-border cooperation and transport.

Like the EESC, it has 344 members.

Its headquarters are in Brussels.

Site of the Committee of the Regions: http://www.cor.europa.eu

7.4.2.3. The European Central Bank (ECB)

The ECB, brought in by the Maastricht Treaty and set up in June 1998, defines and implements the monetary policy of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU). Its main job is to maintain price-stability. Its head office is in Frankfurt.

The whole organism formed by the ECB and the national central banks constitutes the European System of Central Banks (ESCB), whose responsibility it is to implement monetary policy, to make sure the payment systems work properly, to contribute to the careful monitoring of the credit establishments, as well as to the stability of the financial system. The day-to-day management of currency exchange operations comes within the remit of the ESCB.

The ECB and the ESBC are directed by bodies independent of the other Community institutions and national authorities:

• The Board of Governors, which is comprised of the governors of the central banks of the countries of the euro zone and the members of the Board of Directors; it is the higher level decision-making body that sets the level of the interest rates and defines monetary objectives;

• The Board of Directors, made up of a chairman, a vice-chairman and four other members appointed, subject to common agreement, by the heads of state or prime ministers on the recommendation of their finance ministers, after consulting with the EP and the Board of Governors. Their eight-year term of office is not renewable. The members of the first Board of Directors have terms of office of a different duration. The Board of Directors carries out the monetary policy decided by the Board of Governors and gives the necessary instructions to the national central banks;

• The General Council is made up of the governors of the central banks of all the countries of the European Union, whether they have adopted the euro or not. Its job is to associate the countries that are not yet members of the EMU with the decisions taken within the framework of the euro zone.

The ECB is endowed with capital subscribed by the national central banks, according to a distribution key which takes account of the share of each country in the GDP* and in the population of the whole European Union.

The European Monetary Institute (IME), which did the preparation for the setting-up of the ECB, disappeared in June 1998. The ECB had six months to confirm the juridical and operational framework conceived by the IME, take the decisions pending and test the IT systems prior to the launch of the euro. On the 1st of January 1999 it took over the common monetary policy.

In April 2000, its offices in Frankfurt had a staff of about 770.

Site of the European Central Bank: http://www.ecb.int/home/html/index.en.html

7.4.2.6. The European Controller of Data Protection

This post was created in 2001. The controller is responsible for watching to ensure Community institutions and bodies respect the private life of physical persons when they process data of a personal nature concerning them.

 

Internet Site: http://www.edps.europa.eu/EDPSWEB/edps/lang/en/pid/1

Show all/Hide all

7.4.3.1. What are the European Agencies?

The European agencies are not European institutions, but bodies set up to carry out specific tasks defined in the statutes. They accomplish missions coming under the three pillars of the European Union (EU), so decentralising European action and execution.

They can have different names, such as “agency”, “centre”, “foundation”, “institute”, “monitoring centre”, “office” or “authority”.

The existing agencies have been set up at different times and are located in various European cities and towns.:

• Community Fisheries Control Agency, 2005, Vigo (provisionally Brussels): http://www.cfca.europa.eu
• European Agency for Fundamental Rights, 2007
  http://fra.europa.eu/fra/index.php
• European Networks and Information Security Agency, 2004, Heraklion: http://www.enisa.europa.eu
• European Defence Agency, 2004, Brussels: http://www.eda.europa.eu
• European Air Safety Agency, 2002, Cologne http://www.easa.europa.eu
• European Medicines Agency, 1993, London: http://www.emea.europa.eu
•  European Agency for the Management of Operational Cooperation at External Frontiers (Frontex), 2004, Warsaw: http://www.frontex.europa.eu
• European Agency for Reconstruction, 2000, Thessalonika http://www.ear.europa.eu
• European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, 1994, Bilbao; http://www.osha.europa.eu
•  European Maritime Safety Agency, 2002, Lisbon http://www.emsa.europa.eu
• European Environment Agency, 1990, Copenhagen: http://www.eea.europa.eu
• European Chemicals Agency, 2006, Helsinki: http://www.echa.europa.eu
•  European Railways Agency, 2004, Lille-Valenciennes http://www.era.europa.eu
• “Education, Audiovisual and Culture” Executive Agency, 2003 (operational since 2006), Brussels: http://www.ec.eacea.europa.eu
• Intelligent Energy Executive Agency, 2003, Brussels
  http://www.ec.europa.eu/energy/intelligent/ieea/index_en.htm
• Public Health Executive Agency, 2005, Luxembourg:
  http://www.ec.europa.eu/phea
• European Food Safety Authority, 2002, Parma: http://www.efsa.europa.eu
• European GNSS Supervisory Authority, 2004, provisionally Brussels;
  http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/energy_transport/galileo/sa/index_en.htm
• Translation Centre for the Bodies of the European Union, 1994, Luxembourg: http://www.cdt.europa.eu
• European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, 2004, Stockholm: http://www.ecdc.europa.eu
• European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training, 1975, Thessalonika: http://www.cedefop.europa.eu
• European Union Satellite Centre, 2002, Torrejon de Ardoz: http://www.eusc.europa.eu
• European Police College, 2001, Bramshill: http://www.cepol.europa.eu
• Eurojust, 2002, The Hague: http://www.eurojust.europa.eu
• European Training Foundation, 1990, Turin; http://www.etf.europa.eu
• European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions, 1975, Dublin; http://www.eurofound.europa.eu
• Institute for Security Studies of the European Union, 2001, Paris; http://www.iss.europa.eu
• European Institute for Gender Equality, 2006, Vilnius
  http://www.ec.europa.eu/employment_social/gender_equality/gender_institute/index_en.html
• European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, 1993, Lisbon; http://www.emcdda.europa.eu
• European Monitoring Centre for Racism and Xenophobia, 1997, Vienna; http://www.eumc.europa.eu
• Community Plant Variety Office, 1994, Angers: http://www.cpvo.europa.eu
• Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market (trademarks, designs and patterns), 1994, Alicante: http://www.oami.europa.eu
• European Police Office, 1992, The Hague: http://www.europol.europa.eu
• European Environment Information and Observation Network, 1997: http://www.eionet.europa.eu
• ENA: http://www.ena.lu