EU Institutions
The European Commission, European Parliament and the Council of the European Union are the 'big three' institutions but there are number of other institutions and bodies that make up the European Union (EU).
- European Commission
- Council of the European Union (EU)
- European Parliament
- European Economic and Social Committee
- Committees of the Regions
European Commission
The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. It is based in Brussels, represents and upholds the interests of the European Union as a whole and is independent of national government.
The Commission's job is to represent the common European interest to all the EU countries. To allow it to play its role as 'guardian of the treaties' and defender of the general interest, the Commission also has the right of initiative in the lawmaking process. This means that it proposes legislative acts for the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers to adopt.
The Commission is also responsible for putting the EU's common policies (like the common agricultural policy and the growth and jobs strategy) into practice and managing the EU's budget and programmes.
Although the Commission is allowed to take any initiative it sees as necessary to attain the objectives of the EU treaties, most of its proposals are to meet its legal obligations and other technical requirements or because another EU institution, member country or stakeholder has asked it to act.
The Commission's proposals must be grounded in the European interest and respect the principles of subsidiarity (in domains where the EU does not have exclusive competence to act) and proportionality. This means that the Commission should legislate only where action is more effective at EU level, and then no more than necessary to attain the agreed-on objectives. If it is more efficient to act at national, regional or local level, the Commission should refrain from legislating.
The Commission's vocation is to work for the good of the EU as a whole, and not to favour any EU country or interest group in particular. It consults widely so that all the parties affected by a legislative act can contribute to its preparation. In general, an assessment of the economic, social and environmental impact of a given legislative act is published at the same time as the proposal itself.
More information about the European Commission
The European Commission Representation in the UK have an office in London, as well as Belfast, Cardiff and Edinburgh and co-ordinates the European Commission's activities in the UK and will be able to provide you with more information.
Commissioners
There are currently 27 Commissioners, one from each member country, who are responsible for certain areas such as health, environment and development and humanitarian aid. Commissioners act in the interests of the EU as a whole rather than individual countries or governments.
Commissioners are appointed every five years, within six months of the Parliament elections. The Commission is accountable to the European Parliament and must explain its policies and reply to questions by MEPs. The President of the Commission is chosen by EU member states and approved by the European Parliament.
Each Commissioner has their own cabinet (this is pronounced in the French way so no 't') or private office, headed up by Chefs de cabinet who are the key advisor to Commissioners.
Directorates General
Directorates General and Services, or DGs as they are referred to within the EU, are the departments within the Commission. Each DG is responsible for a specific area of policy and headed up by a Director General. Any propsals for legislation are drafted within a DG.
Read tips from campaigners and decision makers on influencing the Commission.
Council of the European Union
The Council of European Union* (to add confusion it was formally known as the Council of Ministers) is the main decision making institution of the EU and can accept, change or reject all draft laws of legislation. It is the voice of member countries and made up of representatives, Minsters from governments of member states, who are empowered to represent and their whole government.
The Council meets around nine different themed areas from Justice and Home Affairs to Agriculture and Fisheries. The most relevant Minsters attend depending on the subject that is being discussed at each session. For example meeting to talk about EU laws on pollution Environmental Minsters will attend.
Legislation is approved either unanimously or by Qualified Majority Voting - which gives each country a vote that is weighted roughly by its size.
* There is a distinction from the European Council - where the heads of states or heads of governments from all EU countries and the President of the European Commission attend summit meetings about four times a year to agree the direction for future EU to take. Although closely related and similar in name they are both separate political bodies.
More information about the Council of the European Union.
Presidency
The European Union Presidency is held by a member state rather than a person, and rotates between counties every six months. The Presidency has a crucial role in driving work forward and reaching consensus between member states on issues.
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the 'voice of the people'. Members of the European Parliament or MEPs are directly elected by citizens of the European Union (EU) to represent their interests. The European Parliament has passed many laws that have had an impact on our lives such as maximum working hour limits, equal opportunities and non discrimination laws, clear labelling of genetically modified organisms, a ban on animal testing of cosmetics and the recycling of batteries across the EU.
With recent Treaty revisions the Parliament has increased in power to be the only example of a supranational parliament in the world with real law making power. This means the Parliament now shares legislative or law making power equally with the Council in many policy areas, this is know as the codecision procedure. The Parliament also monitors other EU institutions and helps to set the EU's budget.
Parliament plays an active role in drafting legislation which has an impact on the daily lives of its citizens, for example, on environmental protection, consumer rights, equal opportunities, transport, and the free movement of workers, capital, services and goods. Parliament also has joint power with the Council over the annual budget of the European Union.
Before a European law can be applied in the EU’s Member States, it must first be signed by the President of the European Parliament and the President of the Council.
More information about European Parliament
The UK Office of the European Parliament provide a wealth of information on the European Parliament including: Welcome to the European Parliament pack - DVD, introductory leaflets on the Parliament and who sits in it, contact them for copies.
Envisaged as a window on the European Parliament www.europarl.europa.eu contains a variety of information. From following the work of the Parliament - through latest debates and votes to finding out how to submit a petition.
Why influence the European Parliament?
The European Union is the second most lobbied political body in the world after US Congress and the European Parliament is the first place where proposed EU laws are looked at in more detail and scrutinised by MEPs, this is done primarily through Committees. There are many examples of where Parliament has significantly changed initial proposals from the Commission following a successful lobbying campaign.
Read tips on influencing the European Parliament from campaigners and decision makers.
Committees
Much of the European Parliament's work is done in a number of specialist committees where proposals from the Commission are looked at and debated. Committees are made up of a number MEPs from the various political groups. Currently there are 20 permanent committees, two subcommittees and one temporary committee. For a full list see the European Parliament website.
Committees meet one or two times a months in Brussels with their debates being held in public. A rapporteur or draftsperson is allocated to write a report looking into the Commission's proposals in more detail. There are also shadow rapporteurs from all of the other political parties. The report usually includes amendments to the original proposal, so it is rewarding to focus your influencing on the rapporteur and shadow rapporteurs. Other committees can be called upon to give their opinion on particular issues that fall into their area. So if the European Parliament is looking at a particular issue it is worth considering what different Committees will be looking amendments from the various positions.
The Committee members vote on any amendments and then the whole report and once this is agreed the report is taken to the whole Parliament to vote on and pass as legislation. Committees can also produce reports that do not comment on proposed legislation but include a motion for a resolution.
The European Parliament website contains information on parliamentary committees including:
Lists the committees with brief explanations
Read tips from campaigners and decision makers on how to influence committees.
European Economic and Social Committee
Committed to European integration, the EESC contributes to strengthening the democratic legitimacy and effectiveness of the European Union by enabling civil society organisations from the Member States to express their views at European level.
Sir Stuart Etherington, Chief Executive Officer of NCVO, sits on the EESC.
The opinions of the EESC are forwarded to the larger institutions - the Council, the Commission and the European Parliament. It thus has a key role to play in the Union's decision-making process.
The 344 members of the EESC are drawn from economic and social interest groups in Europe.
Members are nominated by national governments and appointed by the Council of the European Union for a renewable 5-year term of office. The latest renewal was in October 2010 for the mandate 2010-2015.
Consultation of the EESC by the Commission or the Council is mandatory in certain cases; in others it is optional. The EESC may, however, also adopt opinions on its own initiative. On average the EESC delivers 170 advisory documents and opinions a year (of which about 15% are issued on its own-initiative). All opinions are forwarded to the Community's decision-making bodies and then published in the EU's Official Journal.
More information about the EESC
Committee of the Regions
The Committee of the Regions (CoR) is the political assembly that provides the regional and local levels with a voice in EU policy development and EU legislation. It is made up of local politicians from all over the EU and it must be consulted on policies that have local or regional impact.
The Treaties oblige the Commission, Parliament and Council to consult the Committee of the Regions whenever new proposals are made in areas that affect the regional or local level. The CoR has 344 members from the 27 EU countries, and its work is organised in 6 different commissions. They examine proposals, debate and discuss in order to write official opinions on key issues.
