Institutions of the European Union
The Presidency of the Council of the EU
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, its member countries and its citizens. 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. Democracy and the rule of law are therefore the cornerstones of the structure.
This "institutional triangle" is flanked by two other institutions: the Court of Justice and the Court of Auditors. A further five bodies make the system complete.
European Parliament
Elected every five years by direct universal suffrage, the European Parliament is the expression of the democratic will of the Union's 374 million citizens. Brought together within pan-European political groups, the major political parties operating in the Member States are represented.
Parliament has three essential functions:
1. It shares with the Council the power to legislate, i.e. to adopt European laws (directives, regulations, decisions). Its involvement in the legislative process helps to guarantee the democratic legitimacy of the texts adopted;
2. It shares budgetary authority with the Council, and can therefore influence EU spending. At the end of the procedure, it adopts the budget in its entirety;
3. It exercises democratic supervision over the Commission. It approves the nomination of Commissioners and has the right to censure the Commission. It also exercises political supervision over all the institutions.
Parliamentary committees
* on Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, Common
Security and Defence Policy
* on Budgets
* on Budgetary Control
* on Citizens' Freedoms and Rights, Justice and Home Affairs
* on Economic and Monetary Affairs
* on Legal Affairs and the Internal Market
* on Industry, External Trade, Research and Energy
* on Employment and Social Affairs
* on the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Policy
* on Agriculture and Rural Development
* on Fisheries
* on Regional Policy, Transport and Tourism
* on Culture, Youth, Education, the Media and Sport
* on Development and Cooperation
* on Constitutional Affairs
* on Women's Rights and Equal Opportunities
* on Petitions
Rules of Procedure concerning committees (Rules - Chapter XX)
Temporary committees
* on human genetics and other new technologies of modern medicine
* the ECHELON interception system
* to monitor action taken on BSE recommendations
* of inquiry into BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy)
* of inquiry into the Community transit regime
Rules of Procedure concerning temporary committees: Rule 150
Specific Rules concerning temporary committees of inquiry: Rule 151 + Annex VIII
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I. Committee on Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, Common Security and Defence Policy
This committee is responsible for matters relating to:
1. the common foreign and security policy of the European Union, including the task of formulating a common defence and disarmament policy (Article 11 of the EU Treaty);
2. relations with the other institutions in the foreign policy sphere, and in particular with the High Representative for the common foreign and security policy;
3. political aspects of relations with third countries and international organisations with regard to the implementation of the Union's foreign and security policy;
4. determination of the foreign policy position with regard to the allocation of the major technical assistance and financial support programmes to third countries, in cooperation with the Committee on Budgets, the Committee on Budgetary Control, the Committee on Development and Cooperation and the Committee on Industry, External Trade, Research and Energy;
5. opening, monitoring and concluding negotiations concerning the accession of European States to the Union (Article 49 of the EU Treaty) without prejudice to the powers of the specialist committees;
6. opening, monitoring and concluding negotiations concerning association and partnership agreements (Article 310 of the EC Treaty) and other international agreements of a mainly political nature;
AFET-Committee on Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, Common Security and Defence Policy
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* Annual reports on human rights in the world
* Other reports and urgency resolutions on human rights
* Public Hearings
* The Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought
* Human Rights Brochure - Overview and Introduction
* Human Rights
Working Group
· Members
· FET-Committee on Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, Common Security and Defence Policy
· Human Rights
·
Members 2001-2002
· 1. Herr BROK, Elmar , Chairman
· Federal Republic of Germany
· 2. De Heer BELDER, Bastiaan , Member
· Netherlands
· 3. The Lord BETHELL, , Member
· United Kingdom
· 4. Mr CASHMAN, Michael , Member
· United Kingdom
· 5. Hr. HAARDER, Bertel , Member
· Denmark
· 6. Baroness NICHOLSON OF WINTERBOURNE, , Member
· United Kingdom
· 7. On. SEGNI, Mariotto , Member
· Italy
· 8. On. VINCI, Luigi , Member
· Italy
· 9. WUORI, Matti , Member
· Finland
· 10. Sra. DÍEZ GONZÁLEZ, Rosa M. , Substitute
· Spain
· 11. On. FRASSONI, Monica , Substitute
· Belgium
· 12. Fru MALMSTRÖM, Cecilia , Substitute
· Sweden
· 13. Sr. MARSET CAMPOS, Pedro , Substitute
· Spain
· 14. De Heer VAN HECKE, Johan , Substitute
· Belgium
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Meeting Documents and Minutes of the Committee on Foreign
Affairs, Human Rights, Common Security and Defence Policy
* Human Rights
Unit Secretariat
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SEE END OF DOCUMENT ON SPECIAL COMMITTEE REPORTS
8. relations with the WEU (Article 17 of the EU Treaty);
9. the monitoring accompanying the implementation of current expenditure for which it has responsibility, on the basis of periodic reports provided by the Commission.
This committee will coordinate the work of the interparliamentary delegations and the joint parliamentary committees and the cooperation committees and the ad hoc delegations, including those sent to monitor elections, both in preparing for and discussing the outcome of their meetings. The interparliamentary delegations will consult with the committee responsible on economic and trade matters.
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Council of the European Union
The Council is the EU's main decision-making body. It is the embodiment of the Member States, whose representatives it brings together regularly at ministerial level.
According to the matters on the agenda, the Council meets in different compositions: foreign affairs, finance, education, telecommunications, etc.
The Council has a number of key responsibilities:
1. It is the Union's legislative body; for a wide range of EU issues, it exercises that legislative power in co-decision with the European Parliament;
2. It coordinates the broad economic policies of the Member States;
3. It concludes, on behalf of the EU, international agreements with one or more States or international organisations;
4. It shares budgetary authority with Parliament;
5. 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;
6. It coordinates the activities of Member States and adopts measures in the field of police and judicial cooperation in criminal matters.
The Spanish Presidency of the Council of the EU
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.
The Commission is the driving force in the Union's institutional system:
1. It has the right to initiate draft legislation and therefore presents legislative proposals to Parliament and the Council;
2. As the Union's executive body, it is responsible for implementing the European legislation (directives, regulations, decisions), budget and programmes adopted by Parliament and the Council;
3. It acts as guardian of the Treaties and, together with the Court of Justice, ensures that Community law is properly applied;
4. It represents the Union on the international stage and negotiates international agreements, chiefly in the field of trade and cooperation.
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. A Court of First Instance has been attached to it since 1989.
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.
European Central Bank
The European Central Bank frames and implements European monetary policy; it conducts foreign exchange operations and ensures the smooth operation of payment systems.
Economic and Social Committee
The European Economic and Social Committee represents the views and interests of organised civil society vis-ŕ-vis the Commission, the Council and the European Parliament. The Committee has to be consulted on matters relating to economic and social policy; it may also issue opinions on its own initiative on other matters which it considers to be important.
Committee of the Regions
The Committee of the Regions ensures that regional and local identities and prerogatives are respected. It has to be consulted on matters concerning regional policy, the environment and education. It is composed of representatives of regional and local authorities.
European Investment Bank
The European Investment Bank (EIB) is the European Union's financial institution. It finances investment projects which contribute to the balanced development of the Union.
European Ombudsman
All individuals or entities (institutions or businesses) resident in the Union can apply to the European Ombudsman if they consider that they have been harmed by an act of "maladministration" by an EU institution or body.
Future of the Union (2004 IGC)
The future of the European Union
The Intergovernmental Conference (IGC) which agreed the Treaty of Nice adopted a declaration on the future of the European Union (p. 85 in PDF version of Treaty) in which the Swedish Presidency and the future Belgian Presidency, in cooperation with the Commission and involving the European Parliament, were asked to encourage wide-ranging discussions on the future of the Union involving all the interested parties: representatives of national Parliaments and all those reflecting public opinion, including political, economic and university circles, representatives of civil society, etc. The candidate countries will be associated with this process. This vast public debate is intended to be the first stage of a process of preparation leading up to the convening of a new IGC in 2004. The 2004 IGC does not constitute a pre-condition for enlargement. Those candidate States which have concluded accession negotiations with the Union will be invited to participate in the Conference. Candidate States which have not concluded their accession negotiations will be invited as observers.
This debate will address questions such as how to establish and monitor a more precise delimitation of powers between the Union and the Member States, the status of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, simplification of the Treaties with a view to making them clearer and more understandable and the role of national Parliaments in the European architecture.
On 7 March 2001, the Swedish Presidency, the future Belgian Presidency and the Presidents of the European Parliament and the Commission issued a joint statement initiating the debate on the future development of the European Union. That statement calls for a debate which should reach out to all parts of society. The debate should build on many activity centres and on a multitude of contributions to encourage a debate with broader scope than before. It should also highlight the basic challenges facing the European Union in the coming decades and stimulate suggestions for how to respond rationally to these challenges in terms of policy provisions, institutions and organisation of work.
At the European level it is important to establish a common place where all contributions to the debate can be collected and easily accessed by to all interested parties, the media and above all to the citizens of Europe. A " Future of Europe Web-Site " was opened on 7 March, which includes a Citizens Discussion Forum to which written contributions are welcome and where on-line discussions can be held.
The Presidency presented a report to the Göteborg European Council in June 2001 outlining the many encouraging initiatives being undertaken in each Member State, candidate countries and by the Union's Institutions as part of the wide-ranging, open debate. The Göteborg European Council (paragraph 15) urged Member States and candidate countries to actively pursue this debate and as part of the preparation for the 2004 IGC, Member States and candidate countries are invited to summarise the debate at national level and report to successive incoming Presidencies.
The Laeken European Council in December 2001 will agree on a Declaration containing appropriate initiatives for the continuation of this process.
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