The Commission of
the European Union proposes policies and legislation, is responsible for
the administration of the EU, and ensures that the provisions of the EU
treaties and the decisions of the other institutions are properly implemented.
In 1996 the Commission had 20 members--two from each of the five larger
countries (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom) and one
from each of the ten remaining smaller countries. The commissioners are
nominated by the national governments and appointed by the EU's Council
of Ministers for a renewable four-year term. Each commissioner is in charge
of a specific area of EU activity, and their decisions are made by a simple
majority vote.
The Commission is supposed to represent, protect, and further the "European" interest or the Union's interest, and thus its members are not supposed to represent or take orders from their national governments. The Commission chooses its own president for a two-year renewable term. Jacques Delors of France was president of the Commission from 1985 to 1995, when Jacques Santer of Luxembourg took over. The Commission performs most of its activities at its headquarters in Brussels.
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The European Commission Homepage: http://europa.eu.int/en/comm.html
Europa, The European Union's server: http://europa.eu.int/inst-en.htm#commission
The Council of
Ministers has one representative from each of the member states. The ministers
are usually the foreign ministers of the member states, but other ministers
may also be present, depending on the matter that is being discussed at
the time. The Council of Ministers represents the national governments
and is supposed to argue for the national interest as a counterbalance
to the Commission. The Council debates and votes on various proposals put
to it by the Commission. Some decisions of the Council--such as the admission
of new EU members or the appointment of judges to the European Court of
Justice--must be unanimous; others, such as those dealing with the 1992
Program, can be taken by majority vote. The members of the Council hold
their positions as long as they remain foreign ministers of their respective
governments. The Council conducts most of its business at its headquarters
in Brussels and is assisted by the Committee of Permanent Representatives
(CPR or COREPER), which is composed of the ambassadors to the EU from each
of the member states. The presidency of the Council is a six-month position
that rotates among the member states.
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The Council of the European Union Homepage: http://ue.eu.int/angl/summ2.htm
Europa, The European Union's server: http://europa.eu.int/inst-en.htm#council
The European Parliament
(EP) had 567 members in 1994, directly elected by universal suffrage for
five-year terms. Representation of each member state is roughly based on
population, with the four largest countries (France, Germany, Italy, and
the United Kingdom) each having the same number of representatives. Members
of the Parliament (MEPs) do not sit and vote as national groups, but in
political groupings; several transnational European political parties are
represented in the EP. The EP acts as the Community's public forum, debating
issues and questioning the Commission and the Council of Ministers. It
has the power to force the Commission to resign as a body and to amend
or reject the EU's annual budget. The Parliament splits its plenary sessions
between Brussels and the city of Strasbourg, in the Alsace region of France.
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The European Parliament Homepage: http://www.europarl.eu.int/sg/tree/en/default.htm
Europa, The European Union's server: http://europa.eu.int/inst-en.htm#parliament
The Court of Justice, located in Luxembourg, is the only EU-wide judicial body. It has 13 judges: one from each of the member nations, and an additional one taken from each member on a rotating basis, in order to make an odd number. They are nominated by the national governments and approved by the Council of Ministers for a renewable six-year term. The Court's duty is to interpret and apply the defining EU treaties and other Union texts, legislation, and decisions. It is assisted by six advocates-general. A Court of Auditors reviews the Community's spending, and a Court of First Instance has jurisdiction over cases in certain specific areas. These courts also sit in Luxembourg.
For more information, follow these links, and just use the back button on your browser to return to this page.
The European Court of Justice Homepage: http://europa.eu.int/cj/index.htm
Europa, The European Union's server: http://europa.eu.int/inst-en.htm#justice
OTHER IMPORTANT INSTITUTIONS:
The Economic and Social Committee (ESC) is a 189-member consultative body representing the various categories of economic and social activity, such as labor, employers, agriculture, consumer and environmental groups, and professional societies. The ESC advises the Commission and the Council on EU policies and helps draft proposals for legislation. Its headquarters are in Brussels.
Two other decision-making organizational processes in the Community structure--the European Political Cooperation (EPC) process and the European Council--are not part of the EU in legal terms but are parallel structures to the EU framework.
The European Political Cooperation process, formalized by the European Single Act, is a means for the member states to coordinate their foreign policies and positions in international relations. Because the EPC process is not a formal part of the EU, its decisions are not binding on any member state that does not join the majority consensus. The EPC process has had some success in coordinating the foreign policies of the EU nations, most notably in relation to Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union, and the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe(CSCE).
The European Council brings together the heads of state or government of the member states and the president of the Commission for at least two meetings a year. It discusses questions relating both to the European Union and to European Political Cooperation. The meetings are held in different cities across the Union.