EU Institutions

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Institutions of the European Union

They were created to give expression to an ever closer Union'of European nations. As the Union's responsibilities have broadened, the institutions have grown larger and more numerous. In its first 20 years, the Commission would propose, the Parliament would advise, the Council of Ministers would decide and the Court of Justice would interpret.

In the last 20 years, the Parliament has become directly-elected and acquired new powers, the European Court of Auditors has arrived on the scene, the European Investment Bank has emerged as a major source of finance for economic development, the Economic and Social Committee has testified to the value of debate and cooperation between the social partners and, most recently, the Committee of the Regions has been set up to advance regional interests and diversity.

European Parliament

is the directly-elected democratic expression of the political will of the peoples of the European Union, the largest multinational Parliament in the world.

Council of the European Union

is usually known as the Council of Ministers, and has no equivalent anywhere in the world. Here, the Member States legislate for the Union, set its political objectives, coordinate their national policies and resolve differences between themselves and with other institutions.

European Commission

identifies three distinct functions: initiating proposals for legislation, guardian of the Treaties, and the manager and executor of Union policies and of international trade relationships.

Court of Justice

provides the judicial safeguards necessary to ensure that the law is observed in the interpretation and application of the Treaties and, generally in all of the activities of the Union.

Court of Auditors

is the taxpayers' representative, responsible for checking that the European Union spends its money according to its budgetary rules and regulations and for the purposes for which it is intended.

European Investment Bank

is the European Union's financing institution, it provides loans for capital investment promoting the Union's balanced economic development and integration.

Economic and Social Committee

follows a purely consultative role, but its opinions derive their authority from a membership which is drawn from a broad cross-section of the Union's social and economic life.

Committee of the Regions

is the European Union's youngest institution whose birth reflects Member States' strong desire not only to respect regional and local identities and prerogatives but also to involve them in the development and implementation of EU policies.

European Ombudsman Every citizen of each Member State is both a national and a European citizen. One of his/her rights as a European citizen is to apply to the European Ombudsman if he/she is a victim of an act of "maladministration" by the EU institutions or bodies.

European Monetary Institute The function of the EMI is to make possible the monetary unification. EMI is not the European Central Bank; this will not be established until the end of the monetary union process.

The European Parliament Homepage

The European Parliament represents the 370 million citizens of the Union, its primary objectives are like the of any Parliament - to pass good laws and to scrutinise and control the use of executive power. Now more than ever before, it is in a much better position to do both because its responsibilities have been gradually widened and its powers strengthened first by the Single Act of 1987 and then by the Treaty of European Union of 1993.

Introduction

Legislative power

Budgetary powers

Supervision

Organization

Public access/information

Homepage

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The Council of the European Union Homepage

Introduction

The presidency

Decision-making

European council

Legislation

Organization

Transparency

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The Council is a body with the characteristics of both a supranational and intergovernmental organisation, deciding some matters by qualified majority voting, and others by unanimity. In its procedures, its customs and practices, and even in its disputes, the Council depends on a degree of solidarity and trust which is rare in relations between states.

Dutch Presidency

The European Commission Homepage

The role and responsibilities of the European Commission place it firmly at the heart of the European Union's policy-making process. In some respects, it acts as the heart of Europe, from which the other institutions derive much of their energy and purpose.

Introduction

Democratic accountability

Commission organization

The work of the Commission

Legislative initiative

Guardian of the treaties

Manager and negotiator

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The European Court of Justice Homepage

Overview

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The success of Community law in embedding itself so thoroughly in the legal life of the Member States is due to its having been perceived, interpreted and applied by the citizens, the administrative authorities and the courts of all of the Member States as a uniform body of rules upon which individuals may rely in their national courts. The decisions of the Court have made Community law a reality for the citizens of Europe and often have important constitutional and economic consequences.

The European Court of Auditors Homepage

Some see the Court as the "financial conscience" of the Union, others as a "watchdog" over its money. In either case, it is a guarantor that certain moral, administrative and accounting principles will be respected. The Court's reports are a rich source of information on the management of the Union's finances, and a source of pressure on the institutions and others with administrative responsibility to manage them soundly.

Introduction

Broad and detailed scrutiny

Reports, opinions and
statements of assurance

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The European Investment Bank Homepage

Introduction

A quality of life dividend

Building a stronger economy
with more jobs

Lending outside the Union

Sources of funds

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The EIB is an enormously flexible and cost-effective source of finance whose ECU 20 billion volume of annual lending makes it the largest international financing institution in the world.

The Economic and Social Committee

Members of the Committee are known as "counsellors" and are drawn from a very broad range of activities in civil society. Some represent the employers and workers, the "social partners", while the daily activities of others range from farming to commerce, transport to crafts, the professions to consumer protection and small and medium sized enterprises to environmental protection.

Introduction

Opinions

Reviewing the single market

Maintaining links

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The Committee of the Regions Homepage

Overview

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For the first time in the history of the European Union, there is now a legal obligation to consult the representatives of local and regional authorities on a variety of matters that concern them directly.

European Ombudsman Homepage

The Ombudsman has wide ranging powers of inquiry: the Community institutions and bodies are required under certain conditions to provide all the documents and evidence that he requests; he may also obtain information from national authorities. The Ombudsman is empowered to act as a conciliator between citizens and the Community administration. The Ombudsman is entitled to make recommendations to EC institutions and he can refer the case to the European Parliament so that the latter can, where appropriate, draw political conclusions from the attitude taken by the administration.

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European Monetary Institute Homepage

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The two main tasks of the EMI are: (1) to contribute to the fulfilment of the conditions necessary to reach the last stage of monetary union, in particular the convergence of the main macroeconomic indicators; (2) to make the preparations required for the establishment of the European System of Central Banks ("ESCB") and the conduct of a single monetary policy and for the creation of a single currency.


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