EU/BRUSSELS SERIES: The inner-workings of the European Union

Comprehending how the European Union is organized gives non-member citizens a general understanding of what the organization does and how it manages to keep 27 nations moving forward as a one.

The European Union is organized mainly by three branches, not unlike the branches of government in the United States: the executive branch, legislative branch and the judicial branch.

It consists of the the European Commission, representing the common interests within the EU; the European Parliament, representing the European people; the Council of the European Union, representing national government; and the European Court of Justice, representing the law of the EU.

The executive branch of the EU is the European Commission. The legislative branches are the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union. And the judicial branch is the European Court of Justice.

The European Commission
The executive branch of the EU is the European Commission, in charge of “promoting the common interest,” according to Europa.

Commission members and the president are appointed for five-year terms, coinciding with the Parliament’s terms.

The Commission is known as the Guardian of European treaties, Hillman said. It’s a collectively neutral force serving a government function, preparing and applying legislation to represent EU citizen’s general interests, he said.

The Commission drafts law proposals and submits them to the Parliament and Council. It also implements EU policy, spends EU funds, ensures EU rules are being followed and has the power to take offenders to the Court of Justice, according to Europa.

The composition of the Commission is 27 men and women- one from each EU member state. But they do not represent their national governments. Instead, they each are responsible for a particular policy area. Commission members have the support of nearly 24,000 civil servants working mostly out of Brussels, according to Europa.

European Parliament
The European people elect the Parliament every five years. The current parliament, chosen in June 2004, consists of 785 members from throughout the member states. “Nearly one third of them are women,” according to Europa.

The number of representatives is expected to drop to 750 in 2009, said Andrew E. Hillman, policy advisor to a member of the European Parliament. The amount of representatives each member state receives is based on demographic weight, he said.

“The main job of Parliament is to pass European laws,” according to Europa. “It shares this responsibility with the Council of the European Union.” The two also work together to approve the EU’s annual budget.

An additional power of Parliament is the right to dismiss decisions made by the European Commission.

The Parliament contains 22 committees and seven political groups, making the Parliament “a democratic forum beyond nationality,” Hillman said. During meetings, members do not sit according to national affiliation, but in one of the Europe-wide political groupings.

Over the years, the Parliament has seen increasing powers and an increasing role in the co-decision procedure, he said.

The Council of the European Union
The Council, formerly known as the Council of Ministers, represents the member states and is composed of high-ranking representatives of the governments of the member states, Hillman said.

It shares responsibility with Parliament for passing laws, making policy and “bears the main responsibility for what the EU does in the field of the common foreign and security policy and for EU action on some justice and freedom issues,” according to Europa.

The Council works in nine different formations, with specialized ministers in each formation, Hillman said. These ministers are directly accountable to their electorates.

Meetings are attended by ministers responsible for the issue at hand. For example, if a transportation matter arises, then the ministers of transportation will meet to discuss the issue.

“Council members keep the upper hand in the most sensitive areas” and the Council is the only branch that can ratify treaties, Hillman said.

Up to four times a year, presidents and prime ministers of EU member states will meet to discuss general EU policy. According to Europa, these times are referred to as summit meetings.


The European Court of Justice
The European Court of Justice keeps the law and balance of the EU. It consists of 27 independent judges, eight advocate generals and holds the final word on EU law interpretation, Hillman said.

“It is used as a tool to settle disputes between member states, but also between the different (EU) institutions,” he said. “Most of all, it’s a recourse for individuals to claim the respect of their rights under EU law.”

This system does not operate just like the U.S. Supreme Court. In the EU court system, a member-state citizen can take his country to court.

For example, if a Jordanian believes he is being charged too much in taxes by his country’s government according to EU law, he can take his case to the Jordanian court system. The Jordanian judge would then send a question regarding this matter to the European Court of Justice. The members of the Court of Justice would render a decision and send it down to the Jordanian judge who would use this decision in his ruling in the case.


Additional players
Other elements of the EU include; the Court of Auditors, ensuring EU funds are spent appropriately; the European Economic and Social Committee, known as the “voice of civil society,” according to Europa; the Committee of the Regions, keeping an eye on EU’s impact in the local level; the European Central Bank, responsible for managing the euro; and the European Investment Bank, lending money to European-interest projects.

RECOMMENDED READINGS:

"The European Commission: An Essential Guide to the Institution, the Procedures and the Policies" by Gerhard Sabathil, Klemons Joos, and Bernd Kessler.
"The European Parliament's Role in Closer EU Integration" by Richard Corbett and Klaus Hansch.
"European Union Law in a Nutshell" by Ralph H. Folsom.