What are the key institutions of the EU?

The European Parliament

The European Parliament is the institution that represents the peoples of the Member States of the European Union.  It is the only EU institution whose members are democratically elected by direct universal suffrage.  Elections take place every five years using the voting system of proportional representation.

The Parliament presently consists of 732 MEPs.  The number of MEPs representing each Member State varies depending on the number of inhabitants in that country.  The UK has 78 seats, 10 of which are for London. 

The main role of the European Parliament, alongside the Council of Ministers, is to make new European laws.  The European Parliament is also responsible for supervising the activities of other EU institutions, approving the nomination of Commissioners and the EU?s annual budget.

The activities of the European Parliament are directed by the President who is elected every two and a half years.  The President chairs plenary sittings and declares the budget finally adopted.  The President also represents Parliament in its relations with other EU institutions and the outside world.

For more information about the European Parliament and my MEP colleagues, visit the official website:
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/

The European Commission

The European Commission is based in Brussels and works in close collaboration with the European Parliament.  It is key to the policy making process as it both proposes European legislation and ensures that policies which have been adopted are enforced.

The Commission is composed of 25 members (including the President), one from each Member State.  Commissioners are appointed by the national governments of each Member State for a period of five years and swear to put the interests of the EU as a whole above the interests of their own country.

Each Commissioner is responsible for a particular policy area and each policy area has a Director-General and body of staff whose role it is to carry out and oversee the implementation of that policy.

To find out more about the European Commission, visit:
http://ec.europa.eu/index_en.htm

The Council of Ministers

Alongside the European Parliament, the Council of Ministers forms the EU?s legislative arm.  The Council of Ministers consists of one government minister from each Member State who discuss the proposals put forward by the European Commission.  The identity of the minister at any particular meeting will depend on the subject being discussed.  For example, environmental ministers from each Member State will meet to discuss legislation regarding pollution.  It is the role of government ministers to ensure that national interests are represented in these meetings.

Meetings of the Council of Ministers are held in Brussels and Luxembourg and are chaired by the representative of the country holding the presidency of the EU at that time.  The Presidency of the EU is shared on a rotational basis by the Member States of the EU and is held for a period of six months.  For the second half of 2007, the EU Presidency is held by Portugal.

To find out more about the Council of Ministers visit:
http://www.consilium.europa.eu/showPage.ASP?lang=en

The European Council

The European Council meets in Brussels four times a year.  It is made up of the Heads of State (or Government) and the President of the European Commission and sets the overall agenda for EU policies.

Visit the European Council website for further details about their role in the EU: http://ue.eu.int/cms3_fo/index.htm