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103-529: At a Dec. 16 2014 meeting held in Strasbourg, EU Commission policy makers termed it the number one initiative in their new “roadmap for getting Europe back to work, based on clear priorities […] to boost our economy” In a January 9 2015 meeting held in Riga to kick off Latvia's EU Council presidency, Latvian Prime Minister Laimdota Straujuma insisted that, during its mandate, Latvia would focus on introducing

206-581: A parliamentary system ). A difference from all other parliaments is the absence of a Parliamentary legislative initiative . However, given that in most national parliaments initiatives not backed by the executive rarely succeed the value of this difference is in question. Equally, its independence and power means that the European Parliament has an unusually high success rate for its amendments in comparison to national parliaments; 80% average and 30% for controversial proposals. The composition of

309-516: A Union action or position". In late 2023 and early 2024, unanimity voting on foreign affairs issues by the Council made headlines due to the resistance of Viktor Orbán , Prime Minister of Hungary , to passing European Union aid to Ukraine. In this recent example, the Council came to a unified conclusion after discussions with the Hungarian leader; previously at the end of 2023, Orbán had left

412-466: A common agenda, although only one formally holds the presidency for the normal six-month period. For example, the President for the second half of 2007, Portugal, was the second in a trio of states alongside Germany and Slovenia with whom Portugal had been co-operating. The Council meets in various configurations (as outlined below) so its membership changes depending upon the issue. The person chairing

515-686: A common programme. This body is separate from the European Council , which is a similar body, but is composed of national leaders. The council is composed of twenty-seven national ministers (one per state). However the Council meets in various forms depending upon the topic. For example, if agriculture is being discussed, the council will be composed of each national minister for agriculture. They represent their governments and are accountable to their national political systems. Votes are taken either by majority or unanimity with votes allocated according to population. In these various forms they share

618-493: A director-general. The Committee of Permanent Representatives (COREPER) is a body composed of representatives from the states (ambassadors, civil servants etc.) who meet each week to prepare the work and tasks of the Council. It monitors and co-ordinates work and deals with the Parliament on co-decision legislation. It is divided into two groups of the representatives (Coreper II) and their deputies (Coreper I). Agriculture

721-889: A greater role in checking the executive. The three communities were later merged in 1967, by the Merger Treaty , into the European Communities. The institutions were carried over from the European Economic Community (making the Commission of that community the direct ancestor of the current Commission). Under the Treaties of Rome, the Common Assembly (which renamed itself the Parliamentary Assembly, and then

824-411: A number of types of legislation which can be passed. The strongest is a regulation , an act or law which is directly applicable in its entirety. Then there are directives which bind members to certain goals which they must achieve. They do this through their own laws and hence have room to manoeuvre in deciding upon them. A decision is an instrument which is focused at a particular person/group and

927-726: A proposal to pass. In a few limited areas the Council may initiate new EU law itself. The General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union , also known as Council Secretariat , assists the Council of the European Union, the Presidency of the Council of the European Union , the European Council and the President of the European Council . The Secretariat is headed by the Secretary-General of

1030-512: Is Christine Lagarde . The European Court of Auditors (ECA), despite its name, has no judicial powers. It ensures that taxpayer funds from the budget of the European Union have been correctly spent. The court provides an audit report for each financial year to the Council and Parliament. The Parliament uses this to decide whether to approve the commission's handling of the budget. The Court also gives opinions and proposals on financial legislation and anti-fraud actions. The Court of Auditors

1133-745: Is a President (the Council President) and Prime Minister (the Commission President). However, unlike the French model, the Council President does not hold formal powers such as the ability to directly appoint and sack the other, or the ability to dissolve Parliament. Hence while the Council President may have prestige, it would lack power and while the Commission President would have power, it would lack

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1236-534: Is a "sensitive" issue (according to EUR-Lex ). An exception to this rule exists via Article 31 of the Treaty on European Union , which stipulates circumstances in which qualified majority voting is permissible for the Council in discussing Common Foreign and Security Policy. Article 31 lays out provisions regarding a passerelle clause as well as the possibilities for Member State abstentions. Additionally, Article 31 stipulates derogation for "a decision defining

1339-493: Is an instrument which is focused at a particular person or group and is directly applicable. Institutions may also issue recommendations and opinions which are merely non-binding declarations. The Council votes in one of three ways; unanimity , simple majority , or qualified majority . In most cases, the Council votes on issues by qualified majority voting , meaning that there must be a minimum of 55% of member states agreeing (at least 15) who together represent at least 65% of

1442-540: Is at the centre of the European System of Central Banks which comprises all EU national banks. The bank is governed by a board of national bank governors and a President. It is also the central bank for the eurozone (the states which have adopted the euro) and thus controls monetary policy in that area with an agenda to maintain price stability . The ECB is located in Frankfurt. The current president

1545-538: Is binding on all EU states who must follow and defend the policy, which is regularly revised. A joint action refers to a co-ordinated action of the states to deploy resources to achieve an objective, for example for mine clearing or to combat the spread of small arms . Common strategies defined an objective and commits the EUs resources to that task for four years. The Council must practice unanimity when voting on foreign affairs issues because Common Foreign and Security Policy

1648-513: Is dealt with separately by the Special Committee on Agriculture (SCA). The numerous working parties submit their reports to the Council through Coreper or SCA. The Treaty of Lisbon mandated a change in voting system from 1 November 2014 for most cases to double majority Qualified Majority Voting , replacing the voting weights system. Decisions made by the council have to be taken by 55% of member states representing at least 65% of

1751-405: Is directly applicable. Institutions may also issue recommendations and opinions which are merely non-binding declarations. The ordinary legislative procedure is used in nearly all policy areas and provides an equal footing between the two bodies. Under the procedure, the Commission presents a proposal to Parliament and the council. They then send amendments to the Council which can either adopt

1854-511: Is however chaired by the Union's High Representative . Its decisions are made by qualified majority voting in most areas, unanimity in others, or just simple majority for procedural issues. Usually where it operates unanimously, it only needs to consult the Parliament. However, in most areas the ordinary legislative procedure applies meaning both Council and Parliament share legislative and budgetary powers equally, meaning both have to agree for

1957-575: Is in practice divided into several different council configurations (or '(con)formations'). Article 16(6) of the Treaty on European Union provides: The Council shall meet in different configurations, the list of which shall be adopted in accordance with Article 236 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. The General Affairs Council shall ensure consistency in the work of the different Council configurations. It shall prepare and ensure

2060-615: Is not an EU member state). The Swiss consensus-driven system is seen as successfully uniting a state divided by language and religion, although the EU was not directly modelled on the Swiss system despite bearing a number of similarities. The European Commission has similarities to the Swiss Federal Council in that both have all-party representation and are appointed on the basis of nationality rather than popularity. The President of

2163-486: Is said to exceed $ 65bn, making the leverage ratio at about 5, while the initial (criticized) estimation was 15 The European Investment Bank provides a list of EFSI projects but it's very limited and can't account for the given results; some data on private financing is also hidden due to business confidentiality. A study by Ernst and Young contracted by the European Commission at the end of 2016 seems to be

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2266-414: Is similar to a configuration of the Council and operates in a similar way, but is composed of the national leaders ( heads of government or state ) and has its own President, since 2019, Charles Michel . The body's purpose is to define the general "impetus" of the Union. The European Council deals with the major issues such as the appointment of the President of the European Commission who takes part in

2369-778: Is the judicial branch of the European Union (EU) and is responsible for interpreting EU law and treaties. The CJUE consists of two separate courts: the Court of Justice and the General Court . From 2005 to 2016 it also consisted of the Civil Service Tribunal . The CJEU is located in Luxembourg . The European Central Bank (ECB) is the only one among the 7 institutions that is also an international entity with treaty capability in its own right. It

2472-525: The Council of the European Communities , which would act as a single Council for all three institutions. In 1993, the Council adopted the name 'Council of the European Union', following the establishment of the European Union by the Maastricht Treaty . That treaty strengthened the Council, with the addition of more intergovernmental elements in the three pillars system. However, at the same time

2575-432: The European Union . The current president is Charles Michel (since 1 December 2019). The Council of the European Union (informally known as the Council of Ministers or just the Council ) is a body holding legislative and some limited executive powers and is thus the main decision-making body of the Union. Its Presidency rotates between the states every six months, but every three Presidencies now cooperate on

2678-641: The General Affairs Council configuration, in agreement with the President-elect of the Commissission, adopts a list of candidates for the Commission proposed by the member states. The EU's legislative authority is divided between the Council, the Parliament and the Commission. As the relationships and powers of these institutions have developed, various legislative procedures have been created for adopting laws. In early times,

2781-931: The Lex building in 2008, the three aforementioned buildings are no longer in use by the Council services. When the Council is meeting in Luxembourg City, it meets in the Kirchberg Conference Centre , and its offices are based at the European Centre on the plateau du Kirchberg. The Council has also met occasionally in Strasbourg , in various other cities, and also outside the Union: for example in 1974 when it met in Tokyo and Washington, D. C. while trade and energy talks were taking place. Under

2884-414: The avis facultatif maxim was: "The Commission proposes, and the Council disposes"; but now the vast majority of laws are subject to the ordinary legislative procedure , which works on the principle that consent from both the Council and Parliament are required before a law may be adopted. Under this procedure, the Commission presents a proposal to Parliament and the Council. Following its first reading

2987-612: The " High Authority " with supranational powers over the Community. The laws made by the Authority would be observed by a Court of Justice in order to ensure they were upheld and to arbitrate. During the negotiations, two supervisory institutions were put forward to counterbalance the power of the High Authority. The "Common Assembly" proposed by Jean Monnet to act as a monitor, counterweight and to add democratic legitimacy

3090-407: The 656 signed projects involved in serious controversies such as corruption , fraud , and financial fraud . Projects involving corruption , bribery , or abuse of authority and those using a PPP model unsuited to project operations account for 22% and 19% of all problematic projects. Many well-known worldwide companies are among them. For example, Ericsson admitted to long-term violations of

3193-718: The Authority's domain, and the Council's consent was only required on decisions outside coal and steel. As a whole, the Council only scrutinised the High Authority (the executive). In 1957, the Treaties of Rome established two new communities, and with them two new Councils: the Council of the European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC) and the Council of the European Economic Community (EEC). However, due to objections over

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3296-405: The Council in some sensitive areas, and does not have legislative initiative . It does, however, have powers over the Commission which the Council does not. It has been said that its democratic nature and growing powers have made it one of the most powerful legislatures in the world. The Parliament's President (its speaker) is Roberta Metsola ( European People's Party ), who was elected from

3399-645: The Council moved into the Justus Lipsius building , across the road from Charlemagne. However, its staff was still increasing, so it continued to rent the Frère Orban building to house the Finnish and Swedish language divisions. Staff continued to increase and the Council rented, in addition to owning Justus Lipsius, the Kortenberg, Froissart, Espace Rolin, and Woluwe Heights buildings. Since acquiring

3502-565: The Council of the European Union . The Secretariat is divided into eleven directorates-general , each administered by a director-general . The Council first appeared in the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) as the "Special Council of Ministers", set up to counterbalance the High Authority (the supranational executive, now the Commission). The original Council had limited powers: issues relating only to coal and steel were in

3605-511: The Council still does not approve the Parliament's position, then the text is taken to a " Conciliation Committee " composed of the Council members plus an equal number of MEPs. If a Committee manages to adopt a joint text, it then has to be approved in a third reading by both the Council and Parliament or the proposal is abandoned. The few other areas that operate the special legislative procedures are justice & home affairs, budget and taxation and certain aspects of other policy areas: such as

3708-604: The Council will always be the member from the state holding the Presidency. A delegate from the following Presidency also assists the presiding member and may take over work if requested. The exception however is the foreign affairs council, which has been chaired by the High Representative since the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty . The role of the Presidency is administrative and political. On

3811-424: The Council's present rules of procedures the Council can, in extraordinary circumstances, hold one of its meetings outside Brussels and Luxembourg. From 2017, both the Council of the European Union and the European Council adopted the purpose-built Europa building as their official headquarters, although they continue to utilise the facilities afforded by the adjacent Justus Lipsius building . The focal point of

3914-532: The Council's wishes. This has in some cases led to clashes between both bodies with the Council's system of intergovernmentalism contradicting the developing parliamentary system and supranational principles. The primary purpose of the Council is to act as one of two vetoing bodies of the EU's legislative branch , the other being the European Parliament . Together they serve to amend, approve or disapprove

4017-455: The Court of Justice and the Parliament, however, they had a separate Council and High Authority, which was called the Commission in these Communities. The reason for this is the different relationship between the Commission and Council. At the time the French government was suspicious of the supranational and wanted to limit the powers of the High Authority in the new Communities, giving the council

4120-666: The ECSC Council held its Luxembourg City meetings in the Cercle Municipal on Place d'Armes . Its secretariat moved on numerous occasions but between 1955 and 1967 it was housed in the Verlorenkost district of the city. In 1957, with the creation of two new Communities with their own Councils, discretion on location was given to the current Presidency. In practice this was to be in the Château of Val-Duchesse until

4223-565: The EU Council. However, unlike the EU's Council, the Bundesrat does not vary its composition depending on the topic being discussed. They both bear similar criticisms , because of the interference of executives in the legislative process. The institutions are not concentrated in a single capital city ; instead, their headquarters are spread across four cities: Brussels , Luxembourg , Strasbourg and Frankfurt . The current arrangement

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4326-431: The EU population. A 'blocking minority' can only be formed by at least 4 member states, even if the objecting states constitute more than 35% of the population. Council resolutions have no legal effect. Usually the Council's intention is to set out future work foreseen in a specific policy area or to invite action by the Commission. If a resolution covers a policy area which is not entirely within an area of EU competency,

4429-621: The EU which it conferred upon the European Commission . It is considered by some to be equivalent to an upper house of the EU legislature, although it is not described as such in the treaties. The Council represents the executive governments of the EU's member states and is based in the Europa building in Brussels. The Council also has an important role in the formation of the European Commission. The Council sitting in

4532-505: The EU's population. Almost all members of the Council are members of a political party at national level, and most of these are members of a European-level political party . However the Council is composed to represent the Member States rather than political parties and the nature of coalition governments in a number of states means that party breakdown at different configuration of the Council vary depending on which domestic party

4635-544: The European Commission’s Investment Plan coincides with the emergence of a new, more progressive policy consensus propitious to long-term investments in modern transportation, energy and other socially-beneficial assets after seven consecutive years of low to mediocre growth that followed the start of the Great Recession . It also coincides with a renewed interest for infrastructure assets from

4738-484: The European Parliament) was supposed to become elected. However, this was delayed by the council until 1979. Since then it gained more powers via successive treaties. The Maastricht Treaty also gave further powers to the council by giving it a key role in the two new pillars of the EU which were based on intergovernmental principles. The 2009 Lisbon Treaty brought nearly all policy areas (including

4841-464: The European Union and has the ability to propose new laws (bills) . It also deals with the day-to-day running of the Union and has the duty of upholding the law and treaties (in this role it is known as the "Guardian of the Treaties"). The commission is led by a President who is nominated by the council (in practice the European Council ) and approved by Parliament. The remaining 26 Commissioners are nominated by member states, in consultation with

4944-429: The European Union (of relevant national government ministers). Its 705 members are elected every five years by universal suffrage and sit according to political allegiance . They represent nearly 500 million citizens (the world's second largest democratic electorate) and form the only directly elected body in the Union. Despite forming one of the two legislative chambers of the Union, it has weaker powers than

5047-549: The European Union and Euratom governed under the Treaties of the European Union and European Union law . They are, as listed in Article 13 of the Treaty on European Union : Institutions are distinct from both advisory bodies to the European Union and agencies of the European Union . Most EU institutions were created with the establishment of the European Community in 1958. Much change since then has been in

5150-477: The European Union represents governments, the parliament represents citizens and the commission represents the European interest. Essentially, the Council of the European Union, parliament or another party place a request for legislation to the commission. The commission then drafts this and presents it to the parliament and the Council of the European Union, where in most cases both must give their assent. Although

5253-536: The FCPA, bribery , and falsified books and records; Renfe Operadora was fined 15.1 million euros for abuse of power; BBVA was accused of corruption. Council of the European Union The Council of the European Union , often referred to in the treaties and other official documents simply as the Council , and informally known as the Council of Ministers , is the third of

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5356-491: The Federal Council rotates between its members each year, in a fashion similar to that of the EU's Council Presidency. Due to this system of presidency Swiss leaders, like those of the EU, are relatively unknown with national politics viewed as somewhat technocratic resulting in low voter turnout , in a similar fashion to that of the European Parliament. Other parallels include the jealously guarded powers of states ,

5459-515: The Parliament and Commission had been strengthened inside the Community pillar , curtailing the ability of the Council to act independently. The Treaty of Lisbon abolished the pillar system and gave further powers to Parliament. It also merged the Council's High Representative with the Commission's foreign policy head , with this new figure chairing the foreign affairs Council rather than

5562-457: The Parliament may propose amendments. If the Council accepts these amendments then the legislation is approved. If it does not then it adopts a "common position" and submits that new version to the Parliament. At its second reading, if the Parliament approves the text or does not act, the text is adopted, otherwise the Parliament may propose further amendments to the Council's proposal. It may be rejected out right by an absolute majority of MEPs. If

5665-416: The Parliament's members in 2022. The European Council is the group of heads of state or government of the EU member states . It meets four times a year to define the Union's policy agenda and give impetus to integration. The President of the European Council is the person responsible for chairing and driving forward the work of the institution, which has been described as the highest political body of

5768-501: The Presidency substantial influence in the work of the Council during its term. The Presidency also plays a major role in representing the Council within the EU and representing the EU internationally, for example at the United Nations. Legally speaking, the Council is a single entity (this means that technically any Council configuration can adopt decisions that fall within the remit of any other Council configuration) but it

5871-592: The President, and have their portfolios assigned by the President. The Council then adopts this list of nominee-Commissioners. The council's adoption of the commission is not an area which requires the decision to be unanimous; their acceptance is arrived at according to the rules for qualified majority voting . The European Parliament then interviews and casts its vote upon the Commissioners. The interviews of individual nominees are conducted separately, in contrast to Parliament's vote of approval which must be cast on

5974-651: The Ravenstein building of Brussels. In 1971 the Council and its secretariat moved into the Charlemagne building , next to the Commission's Berlaymont , but the Council rapidly ran out of space and administrative branch of the Secretariat moved to a building at 76 Rue Joseph II/Jozef II-straat and during the 1980s the language divisions moved out into the Nerviens, Frère Orban, and Guimard buildings. In 1995,

6077-424: The administrative side it is responsible for procedures and organising the work of the Council during its term. This includes summoning the Council for meetings along with directing the work of COREPER and other committees and working parties . The political element is the role of successfully dealing with issues and mediating in the Council. In particular this includes setting the agenda of the council, hence giving

6180-412: The autumn of 1958, at which point it moved to 2 Rue Ravensteinstraat in Brussels. The 1965 agreement (finalised by the Edinburgh agreement and annexed to the treaties) on the location of the newly merged institutions, the Council was to be in Brussels but would meet in Luxembourg City during April, June, and October. The ECSC secretariat moved from Luxembourg City to the merged body Council secretariat in

6283-441: The body's meetings. Ecofin 's Eurozone component, the Euro group , is also a formal group with its own President. Its European Council counterpart is the Euro summit formalized in 2011 and the TSCG . Following the entry into force of a framework agreement between the EU and ESA there is a Space Council configuration—a joint and concomitant meeting of the EU Council and of the ESA Council at ministerial level dealing with

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6386-420: The budget) under the co-decision procedure (renamed " ordinary legislative procedure "), hence increasing the power of the Parliament . The rules for the distribution of seats in the parliament were also changed to a formula system. The High Representative merged with the European Commissioner for External Relations and joined the commission. The appointment of the Commission President became dependent upon

6489-417: The commission as a whole without the ability to accept or reject individual Commissioners. Once approval has been obtained from the Parliament, the Commissioners can take office. The current President is Ursula von der Leyen ( EPP ); her commission was elected in 2019. The Court of Justice of the European Union ( CJEU ) ( French : Cour de justice de l'Union européenne or " CJUE "; Latin : Curia )

6592-458: The commission's €315bn investment plan " which testifies that we are committed to supporting our businesses ". Even rich EU countries such as Germany and Luxembourg had for many years deliberately delayed or reduced infrastructure investments in order to limit public spending. There is thus an EU-wide need for better transport links, power grid connections, super-fast broadband networks, as well as school and hospital improvements The adoption of

6695-418: The considerable level of translation and the choice of a lesser city as the capital. Furthermore, executive power in the EU is not concentrated in a single institution. It becomes clearer under the Lisbon Treaty with the division of the European Council as a distinct institution with a fixed President. This arrangement has been compared to the dual executive system found in the French republic where there

6798-407: The context of shifting the balance of power away from the council and towards the Parliament. The role of the commission has often been to mediate between the two or tip the balance. However, the commission is becoming more accountable to the Parliament: in 1999 it forced the resignation of the Santer Commission and forced a reshuffle of the proposed Barroso Commission in 2004. The development of

6901-563: The council can only be compared with the quite unique and unusual composition of the German upper house, the Bundesrat . Membership of the Bundesrat is limited to members of the governments of the states of Germany and can be recalled by those governments in the same manner as the EU's Council. They retain their state role while sitting in the Bundesrat and their term ends when they are recalled by their state governments (who are solely responsible for their appointment) or they cease to sit in their state government. Hence they also are not elected at

7004-403: The council is composed of ministers from each state government who are responsible for this area: the agriculture and fisheries ministers. The chair of this council is held by the member from the state holding the presidency (see section above). Similarly, the Economic and Financial Affairs Council is composed of national finance ministers, and they are still one per state and the chair is held by

7107-411: The creation of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), based on the Schuman declaration , between six states . The ECSC was designed to bring the markets of coal and steel, the materials needed to wage war, under the control of a supranational authority with the aim of encouraging peace and economic development. It established the first institutions. At its core was an independent executive called

7210-408: The exact nature of this depends upon the legislative procedure in use, once it is approved and signed by both bodies it becomes law. The commission's duty is to ensure it is implemented by dealing with the day-to-day running of the Union and taking others to Court if they fail to comply. The European Parliament (EP) shares the legislative and budgetary authority of the Union with the Council of

7313-489: The fiscal aspects of environmental policy. In these areas, the Council or Parliament decide law alone. The procedure used also depends upon which type of institutional act is being used. The strongest act is a regulation , an act or law which is directly applicable in its entirety. Then there are directives which bind members to certain goals which they must achieve, but they do this through their own laws and hence have room to manoeuvre in deciding upon them. A decision

7416-446: The follow-up to meetings of the European Council, in liaison with the President of the European Council and the Commission. The Foreign Affairs Council shall elaborate the Union's external action on the basis of strategic guidelines laid down by the European Council and ensure that the Union's action is consistent. Each council configuration deals with a different functional area, for example agriculture and fisheries. In this formation,

7519-526: The impasse was resolved the following year by the Luxembourg compromise . Although initiated by a gamble of the President of the Commission, Walter Hallstein , who later on lost the Presidency, the crisis exposed flaws in the Council's workings. Under the Merger Treaty of 1967, the ECSC's Special Council of Ministers and the Council of the EAEC (together with their other independent institutions) were merged into

7622-486: The implementation of the ESP adopted by both organisations. The General Secretariat of the Council provides the continuous infrastructure of the Council, carrying out preparation for meetings, draft reports, translation, records, documents, agendas and assisting the presidency. The Secretary General of the Council is head of the Secretariat. The Secretariat is divided into eleven directorates-general, each administered by

7725-411: The institutions, with incremental changes from treaties and agreements, is testament to the evolution of the Union's structures without one clear "master plan." Some observers like Tom Reid of The Washington Post said of the institutions that "nobody would have deliberately designed a government as complex and as redundant as the EU." The first institutions were created at the start of the 1950s with

7828-417: The last EU elections . The Council of Ministers adopted more qualified majority voting and the European Council was made a distinct institution with a permanent president. The Court of Justice had some minor renaming and adjustments. In addition, the central bank became a full institution. There are three political institutions which hold the executive and legislative power of the union. The Council of

7931-714: The legislative acts. Under the CFSP they consist of "common positions", "joint actions", and "common strategies". Common positions relate to defining a European foreign policy towards a particular third-country such as the promotion of human rights and democracy in Myanmar , a region such as the stabilisation efforts in the African Great Lakes , or a certain issue such as support for the International Criminal Court . A common position, once agreed,

8034-490: The legislative and budgetary power of the Parliament, and also lead the Common Foreign and Security Policy . The presidency has been held by Hungary since July 2024. The European Commission (EC) is the executive arm of the Union. It is a body composed of one appointee from each state, currently twenty-seven, but is designed to be independent of national interests. The body is responsible for drafting all law of

8137-543: The member coming from the presiding country. The Councils meet irregularly throughout the year except for the three major configurations (top three below) which meet once a month. As of 2020 , there are ten formations: Complementing these, the Political and Security Committee (PSC) brings together ambassadors to monitor international situations and define policies within the CSDP, particularly in crises. The European Council

8240-508: The most recent evaluation of the project; while EY is a well-known audit company the report takes pains to point that it is an 'ad hoc audit' that has to be done in a 'short time frame': one month for data collection based on interviews with project stakeholders and an online survey of 136 participants with 65 full responses (page 12) and as such has 'limitations to the level of depth' (page 2) On July 25, 2021, an investigation report published by THE KEITH & EVEN GROUP suggests that 28 out of

8343-505: The new building, the distinctive multi-storey "lantern" shaped structure in which the main meeting room is located, is utilised in both EU institutions' new official logos. 50°50′34″N 4°22′51″E  /  50.84278°N 4.38083°E  / 50.84278; 4.38083 Institutions of the European Union The institutions of the European Union are the seven principal decision-making bodies of

8446-525: The new institutions, the Central Bank is based in Frankfurt , while the European Council is based in Brussels (but has some extraordinary meetings elsewhere). Brussels' hosting of institutions has made it a major centre for the EU. Together with NATO it has attracted more journalists and ambassadors than Washington, D.C. However the three-city agreement has been criticised, notably concerning

8549-826: The part of pension funds , sovereign wealth funds and insurers , at a time when returns from some of their traditional core investment vehicles - notably government bonds and listed equity - proved to be lower than they normally had been in years past (“quest for yields” in a context of monetary complacency). Some experts have called for a cautious, cost-conscious approach to alleviate legitimate fears by European taxpayers that this could turn out to be yet another expensive EU scheme marred by administrative inefficiencies and political preferentialism for local or national ‘pet projects,’ potentially causing an oversupply of certain types of infrastructure projects in countries or regions that don’t really need them: “ EU policy makers, public lenders and development banks will need to assess thoroughly

8652-455: The position of their Member State's executive , be they ambassadors, ministers or heads of state/government. The Council meets in 10 different configurations of 27 national ministers (one per state ). The precise membership of these configurations varies according to the topic under consideration; for example, when discussing agricultural policy the Council is formed by the 27 national ministers whose portfolio includes this policy area (with

8755-417: The power of Parliament. While the EU's system of governance is largely unique, elements can be compared to other models. One general observation on the nature of the distribution of powers would be that the EU resembles the federalism of Germany . There, powers are predominantly shared (states can exercise federal powers where the federation has not already exercised them) between the levels of government, and

8858-476: The prestige of the former. The nature of the European Parliament is better compared with the United States House of Representatives than with the national parliaments of the European Union . This is notable in terms of the committees being of greater size and power, political parties being very decentralised and it being separated from the executive branch (most national governments operate under

8961-418: The proposals of the European Commission , which has the sole power to propose laws. Jointly with the Parliament, the Council holds the budgetary power of the Union and has greater control than the Parliament over the more intergovernmental areas of the EU, such as foreign policy and macroeconomic co-ordination. Finally, before the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon, it formally held the executive power of

9064-400: The provisions necessary for its organisation and functioning. The Presidency of the Council is not a single post, but is held by a member state's government. Every six months the presidency rotates among the states, in an order predefined by the Council's members, allowing each state to preside over the body. From 2007, every three member states co-operate for their combined eighteen months on

9167-570: The related European Commissioners contributing but not voting). The Presidency of the Council rotates every six months among the governments of EU member states, with the relevant ministers of the respective country holding the Presidency at any given time ensuring the smooth running of the meetings and setting the daily agenda. The continuity between presidencies is provided by an arrangement under which three successive presidencies, known as Presidency trios , share common political programmes. The Foreign Affairs Council (national foreign ministers)

9270-506: The resolution will be issued as a "resolution of the Council and the representatives of the governments of the member states". Examples are the Council Resolution of 26 September 1989 on the development of subcontracting in the Community and the Council Resolution of 26 November 2001 on consumer credit and indebtedness. The legal instruments used by the Council for the Common Foreign and Security Policy are different from

9373-416: The room during the Council vote on Ukraine-EU accession talks, this ensuring that the Council passed that issue without veto. The legislative branch officially holds the Union's budgetary authority. The EU's budget (which is around 155 billion euro ) is subject to a form of the ordinary legislative procedure with a single reading giving Parliament power over the entire budget (prior to 2009, its influence

9476-441: The rotating presidency. The European Council was declared a separate institution from the Council, also chaired by a permanent president, and the different Council configurations were mentioned in the treaties for the first time. The development of the Council has been characterised by the rise in power of the Parliament, with which the Council has had to share its legislative powers. The Parliament has often provided opposition to

9579-469: The same time and the body as a whole cannot be dissolved like most parliaments. As government representatives, members do not vote as individual members but in state blocks, rather than political alignment, to their state governments' agreed line. Each state has unequal voting powers based on population, with an absolute majority required for decisions. Likewise, the presidency rotates equally between members, though each year rather than every six months like in

9682-492: The seven Institutions of the European Union (EU) as listed in the Treaty on European Union . It is one of two legislative bodies and together with the European Parliament serves to amend and approve, or veto, the proposals of the European Commission , which holds the right of initiative . The Council of the European Union and the European Council are the only EU institutions that are explicitly intergovernmental , that is, forums whose attendees express and represent

9785-517: The states participate strongly with decision-making at the federal level. This is in contrast with other federations, for example the United States, where powers are more clearly divided between the levels of government, and the states have little say in federal decision-making. The EU's institutional set up is also somewhat similar to the government of Switzerland (which, although in Europe,

9888-403: The supranational power of the Authority, their Councils had more powers; the new executive bodies were known as "Commissions". In 1965, the Council was hit by the "empty chair crisis". Due to disagreements between French President Charles de Gaulle and the Commission's agriculture proposals, among other things, France boycotted all meetings of the Council. This halted the Council's work until

9991-489: The tangible interest of future infrastructure investments one project at a time, an effort for which prospective pension and insurance co-investors from sophisticated jurisdictions such as Alberta, California, Ontario, Switzerland and the UK can play a decisive part. ” In August 2018, the investments triggered by the 'Juncker plan' are said to amount to €335bn, exceeding the objective by $ 20bn. The European Investment Bank financing

10094-525: The text with those amendments or send back a "common position". That proposal may either be approved or further amendments may be tabled by the Parliament. If the Council does not approve those, then a " Conciliation Committee " is formed. The committee is composed of the Council members plus an equal number of MEPs who seek to agree a common position. Once a position is agreed, it has to be approved by Parliament again by an absolute majority . There are other special procedures used in sensitive areas which reduce

10197-477: Was approved in 1992 and attached to the Treaty of Amsterdam . The treaty states that the Commission and Council would be based in Brussels, the Courts in Luxembourg City, and the Parliament in Strasbourg. However some departments of the commission and meetings of the Council take place in Luxembourg City, while the Parliament has its committees and some sessions in Brussels and its secretariat in Luxembourg City. Of

10300-676: Was assigned the portfolio. However, the broad ideological alignment of the government in each state does influence the nature of the law the Council produces and the extent to which the link between domestic parties puts pressure on the members in the European Parliament to vote a certain way. By a decision of the European Council at Edinburgh in December 1992, the Council has its seat in Brussels but in April, June, and October, it holds its meetings in Luxembourg City . Between 1952 and 1967,

10403-432: Was composed of 78 national parliamentarians. The second was the Council of Ministers, pushed by the smaller states also to add an intergovernmental element and harmonise national policies with those of the authority. In 1957 the Treaties of Rome established two similar communities, creating a common market ( European Economic Community ) and promoting atomic energy co-operation ( Euratom ). The three institutions shared

10506-414: Was limited to certain areas) on an equal footing with the Council. If there is a disagreement between them, it is taken to a conciliation committee as it is for legislative proposals. But if the joint conciliation text is not approved, the Parliament may adopt the budget definitively. In addition to the budget, the Council coordinates the economic policy of members. The Council's rules of procedure contain

10609-402: Was set up in 1975. It was created as an independent institution due to the sensitivity of the issue of fraud in the Union (the anti-fraud agency, OLAF , is also built on its independence). It is composed of one member from each state appointed by the Council every six years. Every three years one of them is elected as the president of the court, who is currently Klaus-Heiner Lehne . There are

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