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The Structure of the European Union




The functioning of the European Union is supported by several institutions

- The European Parliament (732 members), elected by the peoples of the Member States;

- The Council of the European Union (or Council of Ministers, 25 members), representing the governments of the Member States;

- The European Commission (25 members) is a driving force and executive body;

- The European Court of Justice (incorporating the Court of First Instance, 25 judges) - ensuring compliance with the law;

- The European Court of Auditors (25 members) - controlling sound and lawful management of the EU budget;

The European Council (26 members, 25 head of member states + the European Commission president) - whose role is perhaps better described as that of a "quasi-i

There are several financial bodies:

- European Central Bank (which alongside the national Central Banks, composes the European System of Central Banks) - responsible for monetary policy and managing the euro;

- European Investment Bank (including the European Investment Fund) - helps achieve EU objectives by financing investment projects).

There are also several advisory committees to the institutions:

- Committee of the Regions, (express the opinions of regional and local authorities);

- Economic and Social Committee, advising on economic and social policy (principally relations between workers and employers)

- Political and Security Committee, (established in the context of the Common Foreign and Security Policy, monitoring and advising on international issues of global security);

European Ombudsman (deals with citizens' complaints about maladministration by any EU institution or body).

A number of agencies and other bodies complete the system. The rule of law is fundamental to the European Union. All EU decisions and procedures are based on the Treaties, which are agreed by all the EU countries.

The European Parliament (EP) is the democratic body of the European countries. It is elected every five years, the members of the European Parliament sit not in the national block but in seven political groups. Each group represents the political ideology of the national parties to which its members belong. Some members are not attached to any political group.

Parliament's principal functions are as follows:

- to examine and adopt European legislation. Under the co-decision procedure, Parliament shares this power equally with the Council of Ministers;

- to approve the EU budget;

- to exercise democratic control over the other EU institutions;

- to assent to important international agreements such as the accession of new EU Member States and trade or association agreements between the EU and other countries.

As with national parliaments, the EP has parliamentary committees to deal with particular issues (foreign affairs, budget, environment and so on). Via one of these, the Committee on Petitions, European citizens can also submit petitions directly to the European Parliament. The Parliament elects the European Ombudsman, who investigates co­mplaints from citizens about maladministration in the EU.

The Council of the European Union — formerly known as the Council of Ministers is the main legislative and decision-making body in the EU. It brings together the representatives of the all the Member State governments, which you elect at national level. It is the forum in which the representatives of your governments can assert their interests and reach compromises. They meet regularly at the level of working groups, ambassadors, ministers or - when they decide the major policy guidelines — at the level of presidents and prime ministers, i.e. as the European Council.

The Council — together with the European Parliament — sets the rules for all the activities of the European Community (EC), which forms the first «pillar» of the EU. It covers the single market and most of the EU's common policies, and guarantees freedom of movement for goods, persons, services and capital.

In addition, the Council is the main responsible for the second and third «pillars», i.e. intergovernmental cooperation on common foreign and security policy and on justice and home affairs. That means, for example, that your governments are working together within the EU to combat terrorism and drug trafficking. They are joining their forces to speak with one voice in external affairs, assisted by the High Representative for common foreign and security policy.

The European Commission does a lot of the day-to-day work in the European Union.

It drafts proposals for new European laws, which it presents to the European Parliament and the Council. The Commission makes sure that EU decisions are properly implemented and supervises the way EU funds are spent. It also keeps an eye out to see that everyone abides by the European treaties and European law.

The European Commission consists of 20 women and men, assisted by about 24 000 civil servants. The President is chosen by the governments of the EU Member States and must be approved by the European Parliament. The other members are nominated by the member governments in consultation with the incoming president and must also be accepted by Parliament.

The Commission is appointed for a five-year term, but it can be dismissed by Parliament. The Commission acts independently of the governments of the Member States.

Court of Justice. When common rules are decided in the EU, it is of course vital that they are also followed in practice — and that they are understood in the same way everywhere. This is what the Court of Justice of the European Communities ensures. It settles disputes over how the EU treaties and legislation are interpreted. If national courts are in doubt about how to apply EU rules they must ask the Court of Justice. Individual persons can also bring proceedings against EU institutions before the Court. It consists of one independent judge from each EU country and is located in Luxembourg.

European Court of Auditors. The funds available to the EU must be used legally, economically and for the intended purpose. The Court of Auditors, an independent EU institution located in Luxembourg, is the body that checks how EU money is spent. In effect, these auditors help European taxpayers to get better value for the money that has been channeled into the EU.

The European Central Bank is in charge of the single currency, the euro. The Bank independently manages European monetary policy — deciding, for example, how high interest rates should be. The Bank's main objective is to ensure price stability, so that the European economy will not be damaged by inflation. But the monetary policy also supports other political objectives decided in the EU. The European Central Bank is based in Frankfurt in Germany. It is managed by a president and an executive board in close cooperation with the national central banks of the EU countries.

The European Investment Bank lends money for investment project of European interest, in particular projects that benefit less well-or: regions. It finances, for example, rail links, motorways, airports environmental schemes, and (via partner banks) investment by small businesses (SMEs) that helps create jobs and growth. Loans also support the Union's enlargement process and its development aid policy. The Bank is based in Luxembourg and raises its funds on the capital markets. As a non-profit organization it is able to lend on favorable terms.

The Economic and Social Committee. Ranging from employers totrade unions and from consumers to ecologists, the 222 members (more in 2004) of the Economic and Social Committee represent all of the most important interest groups in the EU. It is an advisory body and has to give its opinion on important aspects of new EU initiatives. This is part of the common European tradition of involving civil society in political life.

The Committee of the Regions. Many decisions taken in the EL have direct implications at the local and regional level. Through the Committee of the Regions, local and regional authorities are consulted before the EU takes decisions in fields such as education, health, employment or transport. The Committee's 222 members are often leaders of regions or mayors of cities.





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