1. The Institutions of EU Prof. Philip Yang National Taiwan University
2019/7/5

2. The European Union (EU) is not a federation like the United States
The European Union (EU) is not a federation like the United States. Nor is it simply an organization for co-operation between governments, like the United Nations. It is, in fact, unique.
The countries that make up the EU (its ‘member states’) remain independent sovereign nations but they pool their sovereignty in order to gain a strength and world influence none of them could have on their own.
2019/7/5

3. The Institutions of EU
European Parliament (elected by the peoples of the Member States);
Council of Ministers (composed of the governments of the Member States);
European Commission (driving force and executive body);
Court of Justice (compliance with the law);
Court of Auditors (management of the EU budget).
European Council (Heads of Government )
2019/7/5

4. (二) 部長理事會 (The Council or The Council of Ministers)
(一) 歐洲議會 (The European Parliament or The Assembly)
(二) 部長理事會 (The Council or The Council of Ministers)
(三) 執行委員會 (The Commission)
(四) 歐洲法院 (The Court of Justice)
(五) 審計院 (The Court of Auditors)
2019/7/5

5. The European Union is built on an institutional system which is the only one of its kind in the world.
The Member States delegate sovereignty for certain matters to independent institutions which represent the interests of the Union as a whole.
The Commission traditionally upholds the interests of the Union as a whole, while each national government is represented within the Council, and the European Parliament is directly elected by citizens.
2019/7/5

6. Council of Ministers
The Council is the EU's main decision-making body.
It is the embodiment of the Member States -- made up of Ministers from the 27 Member States
The Council, which represents the Member States, enacts EU legislation.
It is the EU's legislature, although it shares this function with the European Parliament.
2019/7/5

7. It coordinates the broad economic policies of the Member States;
The Council only acts on a proposal from the Commission and, in most cases, with the participation of the European Parliament in the context of a codecision, consultation or assent procedure.
It coordinates the broad economic policies of the Member States;
It shares budgetary authority with Parliament;
It takes the decisions necessary for framing and implementing the common foreign and security policy, on the basis of general guidelines established by the European Council;
2019/7/5

8. The Member States have permanent representations to the EU in Brussels
The Member States have permanent representations to the EU in Brussels. The ambassadors of the Member States (or "permanent representatives") meet weekly within the Permanent Representatives Committee (Coreper). The role of this committee is to prepare the work of the Council.
The most common voting procedure provided for in the Treaty is qualified majority voting.
2019/7/5

9. The threshold for qualified majority voting is 255 votes out of 345 (73% of all votes).
The votes are weighted according to population : Germany, France, Italy and the UK have 29 votes; Spain and Poland have 27;…. and ; Malta 3.
The countries supporting the proposal must represent at least 62% of the total EU population.
2019/7/5

10. European Commission
The European Commission embodies and upholds the general interest of the Union. The President and Members of the Commission are appointed by the Member States after they have been approved by the European Parliament.
It has the right to initiate draft legislation and therefore presents legislative proposals to Parliament and the Council;
2019/7/5

11. The European Commission has four main roles and functions:
to propose legislation to Parliament and the Council; (Initiator of EU policies)
to administer and implement Community policies; (Executive)
to enforce Community law (jointly with the Court of Justice); (Guardian of Treaties)
to act as a mouthpiece for the European Union and negotiate international agreements, mainly those relating to trade and cooperation. (External Relations)
2019/7/5

12. Originally, the Treaty of Rome (1957) gave the Parliament only a consultative role, allowing the Commission to propose and the Council of Ministers to decide legislation.
Subsequent Treaties have extended Parliament's influence to amending and even adopting legislation so that the Parliament and Council now share the power of decision in a large number of areas.
2019/7/5

13. The College of Commissioners The President Directorates-General
The Secretariat General
2019/7/5

14. The Commission has a college of 20 Commissioners.
The Commission is reappointed every five years
Parliament approves the Commission President proposed by the Member States
President designate constitutes his future team, in collaboration with the governments of the Member States
2019/7/5

15. European Parliament
Elected every five years by direct universal suffrage (the first were held in June 1979).
The present parliament has 785 members from all 27 EU countries. Nearly one third of them are women.
Germany has 99 seats, France, Italy and United Kingdom 72 seats each, Poland and Spain 50, Romania 33, Netherlands 25, Belgium, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary and Portugal 22, Sweden 18, Austria and Bulgaria 17, Denmark, Finland and Slovenia 13, Ireland and Lithuania 12, Latvia 8, Slovakia 7, Estonia, Cyprus, and Luxembourg 6, and Malta 5.
2019/7/5

16. It shares with the Council the power to legislate.
The European Parliament provides a democratic forum for debate. It has a watchdog function and also plays a part in the legislative process.
It shares with the Council the power to legislate.
It shares budgetary authority with the Council.
It exercises democratic supervision over the Commission. It approves the nomination of Commissioners.
2019/7/5

17. Court of Justice
The Court of Justice ensures that Community law is uniformly interpreted and effectively applied. It has jurisdiction in disputes involving Member States, EU institutions, businesses and individuals.
2019/7/5

18. Court of Auditors
The Court of Auditors checks that all the Union's revenue has been received and all its expenditure incurred in a lawful and regular manner and that financial management of the EU budget has been sound.
2019/7/5

19. Decision-making
Decision-making at European Union level is the result of interaction between various parties, in particular the "institutional triangle" formed by the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union and the European Commission.
2019/7/5

20. Decision-making on the legislative procedure : proposal codecision
The rules for this decision-making procedure are laid down in the Treaties and cover every area in which the European Union acts.
Decision-making on the legislative procedure :
proposal
codecision
assent
consultation
2019/7/5

21. Proposal Commission has the power of initiation (proposal).
The choice of decision-making procedure depends on the legal basis of the initiative.
It is up to the Commission to determine the legal basis when it draws up a proposal.
2019/7/5

22. codecision procedure
It provides for two successive readings, by Parliament and the Council, of a Commission proposal and the convocation, if the two co-legislators cannot agree, of a "conciliation committee", composed of Council and Parliament representatives, with the participation of the Commission, in order to reach an agreement.
2019/7/5

23. Issues covered by codecision:
This agreement is then submitted to Parliament and the Council for a third reading with a view to its final adoption.
Issues covered by codecision:
the free movement of workers
creation of the internal market
the environment
consumer protection,
education, culture and health.
2019/7/5

24. Assent
It means that the Council has to obtain the European Parliament's assent before certain very important decisions are taken.
Parliament can accept or reject a proposal but cannot amend it.
2019/7/5

25. Issues covered by assent: important questions of a political or institutional nature
New member
Alliance
Treaty
European Central Bank
2019/7/5

26. Simple consultation
Under the consultation procedure, the opinion of the European Parliament is sought.
Once it has received this opinion, the Commission can amend its proposal accordingly.
The proposal is then examined by the Council.
2019/7/5

27. Areas covered by consultation procedure:
Police and judicial cooperation in criminal matters
Revision of the Treaties
EU citizenship
Visas, asylum, immigration
Economic policy
Tax arrangements
2019/7/5

28. 3 Pillars of EU
European Community: economic and monetary union, agriculture, institutions
Justice and Social Issues: immigration, police, drugs
Common Foreign and Security Policy: voluntary, inter- governmental
2019/7/5

29. Economic and Monetary Union
Economic union can be described as a completely unrestricted market between previously independent national markets governed by a set of rules and institutions created and maintained at the supranational level.
2019/7/5

30. Monetary union can be described as a system in which national currencies and exchange rates are permanently fixed – or where they may be replaced by a single currency – and where all monetary and financial movements or services are liberalized in order that there are no national restrictions between them.
2019/7/5

31. Economic and monetary union (EMU) is a logical accompaniment to the single market and a major political milestone on the road to a united Europe.
In order to remove the non-tariff barriers to the free movement of goods, capital, services and persons and complete the single market, the single currency quickly seemed to be a necessity.
2019/7/5

32. The Timetable of the Euro
The Treaty signed in Maastricht on 7 February 1992 makes progress towards a single currency irreversible.
The Timetable of the Euro
16 December 1995 : Madrid European Council : the name "Euro" adopted
16 June 1997 : Amsterdam European Council: design of the coins chosen
In 1998 : European Central Bank (ECB) established
1 January 2002 : the Euro is introduced
1 July 2002 at the latest: the status of national coins and notes as legal currency is abolished
2019/7/5

33. Discussion Question:
Executive and legislative power in the EU is held by three institutions: the Council, the Parliament, and the Commission.  Which different interests to these bodies represent? What different powers do they have? In your opinion, which institution's power should be enhanced, and why, for a more effective EU?
2019/7/5