As with the countries that make it up, the EU functions through several institutions. The Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), adopted in 2008 as part of the signing of the Lisbon Treaty, governs the organisation of these institutions, their respective roles and the distribution of powers.
The European Commission
Function: proposal and execution
Composition: one Commissioner per Member State
Seat: Brussels
Is politically “emancipated”, it is composed of civil servants, headed by Directorates-General of Commissioners who are chosen by the Member States. The management team, consisting of a President and Commissioners, is approved by the European Parliament for a period of five years. The European Commission has the power of initiative, it is the institution that proposes laws to the Parliament. Its other role is to implement the budget through European programmes. In other words, the Commission is the executive arm of the European Union. It is the European Commission that represents the European Union abroad.
Links
- President of the European Commission 2019-2023: Ursula von der Leyen
- European Commissioner appointed by France: Thierry Breton, Internal Market.
- List of European Commissioners
- Organigramme of the European Commission
The European Parliament
Function: legislator and budgetary authority
Composition: 751 Members
Seat: Strasbourg
The European Parliament is composed of 705 MEPs who are elected by direct universal suffrage by the citizens of the EU in its member countries every 5 years. The number of seats depends on the national population in relation to that of the EU, France has 79 (2nd after Germany). The Parliament sits in Strasbourg and Brussels. As the only elected institution, the Parliament votes on the European Union’s budget and European laws (directives and regulations) with the Council of the European Union.
What is the role of MEPs?
During their 5-year term of office, MEPs are key players in the European legislative process.
Within the Parliament, MEPs can have different roles and levels of responsibility. They participate in thematic committees – standing or otherwise – to study texts. The work of an MEP alternates between plenary sessions, parliamentary committees and work in their constituencies. During their term of office, MEPs discuss, amend and vote on legislation proposed by the Commission, always seeking a consensus with the Council of the EU, which also validates the texts.
The European Council
Function: political guidance and impetus
Composition: President of the European Council, Heads of State or Government, President of the European Commission
Meeting: four times a year in Brussels
The European Council brings together the heads of state and government of the 27 Member States. These meetings are also known as “European summits”. The role of the Member States is to give broad guidelines and political impetus, such as the European Recovery Plan, which was first validated by this institution before the classic decision-making process between the Parliament and the Council of the EU. The Presidency is held by a senior official elected by the members of the Council for two and a half years.
The Council of the EU
Function: legislator and budgetary authority
Composition: thematic meetings of the 28 Member States’ ministers
Headquarters: Brussels
The Council brings together the ministers of the 27 Member States by field of activity (agriculture, transport, economy, environment, etc.). The Presidency of the Council is held by a Member State and changes every 6 months. It is France’s turn in January 2022. The Council of the EU shares decision-making power with the European Parliament, so legislation is also voted on in the Council.
The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU)
The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) was established in 1952 and its mission is to ensure “respect for the law in the interpretation and application” of the Treaties. Located in Luxembourg, the CJEU is divided into two sections: The Court of Justice and the General Court.
The Court is composed of 27 judges and 11 advocates-general, appointed by common accord of the Member States for renewable six-year terms.
Two types of disputes are handled by the Court
- Direct actions”, when a Member State or a European institution is accused of not respecting European rules
- Indirect or preliminary actions”, when a national court asks the Court to interpret EU law in order to resolve a national dispute over its application
This is a truly multilingual institution, which has no equivalent in any other court in the world, since each of the official languages of the Union can be a language of proceedings.
The European Court of Auditors
The Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union gives the European Court of Auditors the status of an institution with the main task of auditing the accounts of the Union with the dual aim of improving financial management and being accountable to the European citizen for the use of public money by the authorities responsible for management.
The Court of Auditors, located in Luxembourg, is composed of 27 members, who are appointed by the Council, after consultation of the European Parliament, for a renewable term of six years.
The European Central Bank
The objective of the European Central Bank (ECB), located in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, is to maintain price stability and safeguard the value of the euro. Its method, the “Single Supervisory Mechanism”, consists of the prudential supervision of credit institutions established in the euro area and participating non-euro area Member States. The mechanism thus contributes to the safeguarding and soundness of the banking system and the stability of the financial system, both within the European Union and in each participating Member State.
The European Central Bank and the national central banks together form the Eurosystem, the central banking system of the euro area.
The governors of the national central banks of the Member States whose currency is the euro and the members of the ECB’s Executive Board make up the Governing Council, which sets monetary policy.