Governing the EU
There are seven principal governing institutions of the European Union (EU). By agreeing to accept the European Treaties, the member states relinquished a degree of national sovereignty to the institutions of the EU. The institutions represent both national interests and shared EU interests. Each institution plays a part in the decision-making process and fulfills a legislative, judicial, or executive function.The main governing institutions of the European Union include:
The European Commission
This governing body is the center of the EU's policy making process. It proposes policy and legislation, is a unit of administration, and ensures the proper implementation of Treaty provisions and institutional decisions. It is the executive body of the EU. The Commission is composed of twenty Commissioners appointed by consensus among the member states and approved as a body by the European Parliament. Commissioners hold no responsibility towards individual national governments, they act solely in the interest of the EU as a whole.
The Council
Sometimes referred to as the Council of Ministers, this governing body acts as the legislative branch of the EU. Its responsibilities include that of enacting legislation applicable throughout the EU, and directing cooperation among member governments. The Council consists of ministers representing the national governments of the 15 member states. These ministers negotiate EU legislation on behalf of their member state's interest. Depending on the subject under discussion at the Council meetings, different ministers attend. Most decisions are made by majority vote, however some still require unanimity such as foreign policy, taxation, and environmental issues. The presidency of the Council rotates among the member states every six months, and at the end of each term, a European Council is held. Not to be confused with the Council, the European Council is a meeting of the Heads of State or Government of each of the 15 member states.
The European Parliament
As the largest EU institution, the European Parliament (EP) has 626 members who represent the major political parties in the EU. The EP voices the political sympathies of the citizens of the Union. It functions mainly as a public forum for the EU, where issues of public importance are introduced and discussed, and questions are directed to the Commission and the Council. In addition, the Parliament can amend or reject the EU budget and thus also acts as a limited leglislative body. The members of the EP are elected to 5-year terms.
The Court of Justice
This institution acts as the EU's "Supreme Court" and plays an executive role within the Union. It provides interpretation and enforces implementation of the treaties, by the EU institutions and the member states. There are 15 judges on the Court, one judge from each member state, and appointed for six-year renewable terms. Court decisions in the field of European Union law apply to EU institutions, member states, national courts, companies, and private citizens, and prevail over decisions made by national courts.