european institutions

• What are the European institutions?


  - European council / summit

  - European commission

  - Council of the European union

  - European parliament

  - Court of justice of the European union
• Who makes up the European council?


  - Heads of state of all EU countries

  - President of the EU council
• Who does the European council represent?


  Member states & Union
• What is the European council's role?


  - meet minimum x4 a year

  - sign treaties (laws)

  - decides overall EU policies
• what are the meetings of the European council called?


  summits
• Who makes up the European commission?


  - President of the commission

  - 27 commissioners (Senior politicians from each MS)
• How are the 27 commissioners chosen?


  Nominated by each MS (not democratically)
• Who is the president of the European commission?


  Ursula von der Leyen
• What does the European commission represent?


  Interests of the Union as a whole
• What is the role of the commissioners?


  each commissioner heads a department known as directorates general
• what are the 2 roles of the European commission?


  - Legislative

  - Judicial
• what does the legislative role involve?


  - "Right of initiative" - proposes new European legislation

  - Publish green & white papers

  - Hold consultative hearings

  - Produce drafts
• what does the judicial role involve?


  The guardian of the treaties
• What is the guardian of the treaties?


  When they check if MS has failed to implement EU law correctly
• What is the case example for Guardian of the treaties?


  Re Tachographs 1979
• What happened in Re tachographs?


  Regulations to have tachographs (box things that go in HGVs to track how many hours of driving they have done) fitted had not been enforced in UK so enforcement was ordered by EU
• who makes up the council of the EU?


  - Each MS sends representative depending on topic

  - Minister who represents MS interest
• How are these representatives selected?


  Elected at a national level
• How often does presidency rotate?


  every 6 months
• Who does the Council of the EU represent?


  Individual member states
• what is the council of the EU's role?


  - main law making body of the union

  - Use article 249
• What does article 249 say?


  - Make regulations

  - Issue directives

  - Take decisions

  - Make recommendations

  - Deliver opinions
• What are the 3 different voting procedures for the council of the EU?


  - Unanimity

  - Simple majority

  - Qualified majority
• What is involved in the unanimity procedure?


  - One vote per MS

  - On important matters e.g. accepting new MS
• what is involved in the simple majority procedure?


  - one vote per MS

  - requires a majority of votes
• what is involved in the qualified majority procedure?


  - MS allocated votes weighted according to population
• who makes up European parliament?


  - Members of European parliament (MEP)
• How many MEPs are there?


  705 & president
• What decides the number of MEPs one MS can have?


  The population of the MS
• how are MEPs chosen?


  directly elected by own country
• how often do MEPs meet?


  once a month
• How are MEPs grouped?


  by political affiliation
• Who does the European Parliament represent?


  EU citizens
• What is the role of European parliament?


  - Democratic supervision over the commission

  - Authority over EU budget

  - Contribute to creating EU law
• explain democratic supervision over the commission


  The European parliament has the right to require the entire commission to step down (Motion of censure)
• What are the different levels of power in law making the European parliament has?


  - Ordinary legislative procedure

  - Consultation procedure

  - Assent procedure
• explain ordinary legislative procedure


  Where the parliament & council share equal powers
• what happens if parliament and council don't agree?


  no new law is made
• explain the consultation procedure


  After the commission propose, the council consults with parliament and parliament can approve, reject or ask for amendments
• explain the assent procedure


  the council has to obtain European parliament's assent before certain decisions are made