The main bodies of the European Union and Euratom are:
- the seven principal institutions of the European Union, including the one which is an international entity (the European Central Bank)
- other bodies of the EU established through primary (treaty) legislation, either as international law bodies (the European Investment Bank Group entities, the European University Institute, the European Stability Mechanism and the Unified Patent Court) or as bodies without juridical personality (the European Ombudsman, the advisory bodies to the European Union)
- the agencies, decentralised independent bodies and joint undertakings of the European Union and Euratom, which are bodies of the EU established as juridical persons through secondary legislation,
- other bodies of the EU established through secondary legislation, which lack juridical personality (e.g. European Data Protection Supervisor)
- the inter-institutional services
Apart from them, some several other bodies exist.
Institutions of the EU
editThe Treaty on European Union in Article 13 lists seven institutions of the European Union, including one which is an international entity (the European Central Bank).
| Logo | Name | TEU | Seat | Members | Chairman |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The European Parliament | 1 | Brussels & Strasbourg | 705 MEPs | ||
| The European Council | 2 | Brussels | 27 Heads of State or Government of the Member States
and the President of the Commission |
||
| The Council of the European Union | 3 | Brussels | 27 ministers | Biannual rotation | |
| The European Commission | 4 | Brussels | 27 commissioners | ||
| The Court of Justice of the European Union | 5 | Luxembourg | 27 judges, 11 Advocate-Generals | ||
| The European Central Bank | 6 | Frankfurt am Main | |||
| The European Court of Auditors | 7 | Luxembourg | 27 members, 1 president |
International law entities of the EU (other than EBC)
editEuropean Investment Bank Group bodies
editIn addition, the European Investment Bank is the European Union's long-term lending institution. The EIB supports the EU's priority objectives, especially boosting sustainable growth and job creation. The Group also includes the European Investment Fund and the EIB Institute.[1]
European University Institute
editEuropean Stability Mechanism
editUnified Patent Court
editOther treaty-established bodies
editAdvisory bodies
editThere are a number of other bodies and agencies of note that are not formal institutions. There are two consultative committees to the EU institutions: the Economic and Social Committee (EESC) advises on economic and social policy (principally relations between workers and employers) being made up of representatives of various industries and work sectors. Its 344 members (with an additional nine members joining following the accession of Croatia to the EU), appointed by the council for four-year terms, are organised into three fairly equal groups representing employers, employees and other various interests;[2] while the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) is composed of representative of regional and local authorities who hold an electoral mandate. It advises on regional issues. It has 344 members, organised in political groups, appointed every four years by the council.[3]
The European Ombudsman deals with citizens grievances against the Union's institutions and is elected for five-year terms by the Parliament.
Agencies, decentralised independent bodies, corporate bodies and joint undertakings
editA number of decentralised, executive and Eurarom agencies, decentralised independent bodies and joint undertakings exist, which are bodies of the EU or Euratom established as juridical persons through secondary EU legislation. These include the European Environment Agency and Europol.[4]
Other bodies and inter-institutional services
editThere are also three inter-institutional bodies lacking juridical personality: the Publications Office, the oldest one, which publishes and distributes official publications from the European Union bodies;[5] and the two relatively new: the European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO), a recruitment body which organises competitions for posts within Union institutions;[6] and the European Administrative School, which provides specific training for the staff of Union institutions.[7]
Another body is the anti-fraud office OLAF whose mission is to protect the financial interests of the European Union.[8]
The European Data Protection Supervisor ensures the institutions respect citizens' privacy rights in relation to data processing.[9]
Established by Regulation 1141/2014, the Authority for European Political Parties and European Political Foundations (APPF) is in charge of registering, controlling and imposing sanctions on European political parties and European political foundations.[10]
References
edit- ^ "About the EIB". European Investment Bank. Retrieved 2 August 2007.
- ^ "The European Economic and Social Committee". Europa (web portal). Archived from the original on 25 June 2007. Retrieved 2 August 2007.
- ^ "Presentation / Role". Europa (web portal). Archived from the original on 9 June 2007. Retrieved 2 August 2007.
- ^ "Agencies of the EU". Europa (webportal). Retrieved 2 August 2007.
- ^ "Activities". Europa (web portal). Archived from the original on 2007-09-09. Retrieved 2 August 2007.
- ^ "European Personnel Selection Office". Europa (web portal). Retrieved 2 August 2007.
- ^ "Welcome to the eas". Europa (web portal). Retrieved 2 August 2007.
- ^ "OLAF". Europa (web portal). Retrieved 2 August 2007.
- ^ "Welcome to the home page of the European Data Protection Supervisor". Europa (web portal). Archived from the original on 9 July 2007. Retrieved 2 August 2007.
- ^ Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 1141/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 October 2014 on the statute and funding of European political parties and European political foundations (Regulation (EU, Euratom) 1141/2014, Article 6). European Parliament and Council of the European Union. 22 October 2014.