LibGuides: European Union and European Studies: EU Institutions

Introduction

The European Union is a unique political and economic partnership between 27 European countries. Its institutional system is designed to balance the interests of member states and the EU’s citizens. The EU’s power is shared among several core institutions, each playing a distinct role in lawmaking, implementation, and oversight. Source: European Parliament, 2024.

Primary EU Institutions

Council of the European Union
Meets every 6 months to discuss, amend, and adopt laws and coordinate policy. Main decision-making body along with the European Parliament. Composed of government ministers from member countries depending on topic of discussion.
Court of Justice of the European Union
Ensures EU law is applied and followed fairly in each member country. Composed of the Court of Justice (1 judge from each country + 11 general advocates) and the General Court (2 judges from each country).
European Commission (see adjacent box for COMdocs
Proposes and enforces EU legislation; implements policies and budget. Politically independent and composed of one Commissioner from each member country.
European Council
Composed of the European Council President, the European Commission President, and the heads of state of EU member countries. Sets the political direction and priorities of the EU.
European Court of Auditors
Ensures EU funds are collected and used appropriately; improves EU financial management. 1 member from each country.
European Economic and Social Committee (EESC)
Represents employers' and workers' organizations and related interest groups. Advises the European Commission, the European Parliament, and the Council of the EU.
European Parliament
Responsible for EU legislation, supervision, and budget. Directly elected by EU voters every 5 years.

COMdocs

COMdocs are the working documents and communications issed by the Commission. These are seen as of considerable importance as a reflection of the Commission’s activities, views, and priorities. The numbering of the COMdocs refers to the year and the chronological order in which it was issues that year [i.e. COM (2001) 5]

Proposals for Legislation

When a proposal for legislation is approved by the Commission, it will be published as a COMdoc. Usually, these will have have two parts: the explanatory memoradum and the actual text. The explanatory memorandum give gives background information on the subject and justifies the proposed recourse. The actual text is written in legal language in the mold of a directive or regulation

Green and White Papers

Often the Commission will seek the opinion of Member States, lobbyists, civil society, etc. before making formal proposals for legislation. This is done by distributing Green and White Papers to the aforementioned groups for perusal.

White Papers: Concrete proposals for Community action in specific areas.

Green Papers: Documents for more general discussion in areas of policy orientation.

Reports on the implementation/application of policy

At times the Commission will report on the implementation or functioning of an existing European Union contrivance

Annual reports or Expert reports

COMdocs are also used for the publication of annual reports on particular aspects of EU policy or to reproduce the report of a group of experts requested by the Commission to investigate an EU aspect or concern

Green and White papers are searchable with the given links above. Most COMdocs, including Green and White Papers, can be found in the Register of the European Commission.

Explanation of Register

Core Institutions of the EU

The three main decision-making institutions—the European Commission the European Parliament, and the Council of the EU form the so-called "institutional triangle." Additional bodies like the European Council, Court of Justice, European Central Bank, also play essential roles in governance, financial management, and oversight.

The following provides an overview of the core EU institutions and their functions:

European Commission

Role: The Commission acts as the executive arm of the EU. It is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, managing the day-to-day business of the Union, and upholding the EU treaties. Commissioners are nominated by member states and act independently of their national governments

Initiates legislation (but does not pass laws itself).
Ensures the correct application of EU law (can bring cases before the Court of Justice).
Manages the EU budget and oversees funding programs.
Represents the EU internationally on matters such as trade negotiations.
Source European Commission. About the European Commission. https://commission.europa.eu/about-european-commission_en

European Parliament

Role: The directly elected legislative body of the EU, representing over 400 million citizens across the member states. Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) are elected every five years.

Co-legislates with the Council of the EU on most EU laws (ordinary legislative procedure).
Approves the EU budget jointly with the Council.
Supervises and holds other institutions accountable, including approving the Commission as a body.
Plays a role in international agreements and enlargement decisions.
Source European Parliament. The European Parliament Explained. https://www.europarl.europa.eu/at-your-service/en/be-heard/elections

Council of the European Union (Council of Ministers)

Role: Represents the governments of the EU member states and shares legislative and budgetary authority with the European Parliament.

Negotiates and adopts EU laws together with the Parliament.
Coordinates policies of the member states (particularly in areas like economic and fiscal policy, education, culture, youth, and sport).
Develops the EU’s foreign and security policy, based on guidelines set by the European Council.
Signs international agreements on behalf of the EU.
Source Council of the European Union. What Does the Council Do? https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/council-eu/what-does-the-council-do/

European Council

Role: Consists of the Heads of State or Government of the EU member states, the President of the European Council, and the President of the Commission. Sets the EU's overall political direction but does not pass laws.

Defines the general political priorities and strategic direction of the EU.
Decides on sensitive issues like treaty changes and foreign policy strategies.
Appoints key positions (including the Commission President and High Representative for Foreign Affairs).
Source European Council. Role of the European Council. https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/european-council/role/

Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU)

Role: Ensures that EU law is interpreted and applied consistently across all member states. Includes two main bodies: the Court of Justice and the General Court.

Reviews the legality of the acts of EU institutions.
Ensures that member states comply with their obligations under EU law.
Interprets EU law at the request of national courts (preliminary rulings).
Source Court of Justice of the European Union. Presentation of the Court. https://curia.europa.eu/jcms/jcms/Jo2_7024/en/

European Central Bank (ECB)

Role: Manages the euro and formulates the monetary policy for the Eurozone (the 20 EU countries that use the euro as their currency).

Maintains price stability by setting interest rates and controlling inflation.
Supervises banks within the Eurozone.
Issues euro banknotes and manages foreign currency reserves.
Source: European Central Bank. About the ECB. https://www.ecb.europa.eu/ecb/html/index.en.html

European Court of Auditors (ECA)

Role: Acts as the financial watchdog of the EU, ensuring that EU funds are properly collected, spent, and accounted for.

Audits the EU's income and spending.
Issues annual reports on the implementation of the EU budget.
Provides recommendations for improving financial management and combating fraud.
Source European Court of Auditors. Who We Are. https://www.eca.europa.eu/en/Pages/ecadefault.aspx

EU Simulations

Midwest Model EU

Every year, more than 160 college and university students meet to decide the future of the European Union (EU). Playing the roles of prime ministers and presidents, ambassadors and commissioners, ministers and diplomats,they spend three days debating policy, resolving disputes, building compromises, and charting the course of European integration. The Midwest Model European Union (MMEU) is one of only a half-dozen events of its kind in the United States.

Event/Info Sponsored by: Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies

The European Union Center supports the University of Illinois Model EU team, a student-led RSO that competes annually at the Midwest Model EU contest. The Model EU provides undergraduate students with an opportunity to learn about and simulate the inner workings of the European Union institutions while attending conferences around the United States. The EU is becoming an increasingly important organization in the world and Model European Union provides students an ability to learn how bills are debated and passed. It is an excellent opportunity for any student studying or interested in European, International, or Political Studies.

If you are an undergraduate student and would like to find out more about the Model EU, or if you would like to participate, contact eucenter@illinois.edu.

On March 29, the European Union Center hosted its first EU trilogue simulation, moderated by Kristijan Ležaić, Seconded National Expert in the European Commission's Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport. Participants representing the European Commission, the Council of the EU, and the European Parliament debated and negotiated one recital and one article of a real-life Commission proposal on corporate sustainability due diligence. Read more about this event in the EUC's blog post

The Schuman Challenge is the annual foreign affairs contest for undergraduate students in the United States organized and hosted by the EU Delegation to the U.S. It provides an opportunity to present and defend EU-U.S. policy recommendations on a specific theme in front of a panel of judges. The competition takes place in Washington, D.C., at the EU Delegation. The competition takes place over two days in Spring and includes an evening reception with foreign policy professionals.

On April 10, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s Tamana Ramkumar (Political Science, Information Science, Spanish), Giulia Pauli (Political Science, History, German) and Ethan Bello (Political Science, Italian) competed in Schuman Challenge in Washington, D.C., alongside 27 other teams from colleges and universities across the U.S. The UIUC delegation was coached by Professor Kostas Kourtikakis (Political Science) and sponsored by the European Union Center and the Department of Political Science. Read more about this competition in the EUC's blog post here

European Union and European Studies: EU Institutions