Institutions of the EU

• Council of Ministers:

  • Made of 27 government ministers, one from each member state
  • Each member state has different ministers for different topics, ex) minister of finance, minister of education
  • All legislations proposed by the European Commission must be agreed on by the Council
• European Commission:

  • Made of 27 commissioners, one from each member state
  • Is responsible for the day to day running of the EU and for the preparation of the EU budget
  • Each commissioner has an area of responsibility in the EU, ex) commissioner of consumer affairs, agriculture, transport
  • Is responsible for ensuring that the laws of the EU are implemented and followed by member states and take action against those not following the law
• European Parliament:

  • Each EU member state has a representative to sit in the European Parliament in Strasbourg.
  • These representatives are known as Members of the European Parliament (MEPs).
  • The number of MEPs from each country depend on the size of the country's population.
  • They last five years in their position of being an MEP.

  Main functions:

  • Decide the budget for the EU
  • Discuss new legislation proposed by the European Commission
  • Discuss issues affecting all member states. Ex) terrorism, pollution
• Court of Justice:

  • Based in Luxembourg, the Court of Justice has 27 judges, with one judge from each member state
  • Its main role is to ensure that EU law is understood and applied in the same way across all member states.
  • The court also settles disputes between any member states government and European Institutions by taking action
• Court of Auditors:

  • Ensures that European money is collected and used appropriately and effectively so that the Euro has the highest possible value.
  • Is authorised to carry out random spot checks on any country receiving funds in Euro to ensure it was spent as intended.
• European Central Bank:

  The central bank of the eurozone. Independent of all European countries, it has many important functions:

  • Maintains the value of the euro
  • Set interest rates to apply throughout the eurozone
  • Set common rules that all eurozone governments must follow regarding public finances and preparation of the annual budget
  • Authorise the issuing of euro notes and coins
  • Look after the currency reserves in the bank