EUROPEAN INSTITUTIONS
According to art. 13 TEU, the
Institutions of the European
Union are:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
European Parliament
European Council
Council of the EU
European Commission
The Court of Justice
The Court of Auditors
European Central Bank

Role: Promotes the general interest of
the EU by proposing and enforcing
legislation as well as by implementing
policies and the EU budget

Members: A team or 'College' of
Commissioners, 1 from each EU
country

President: Jean-Claude Juncker

Year established: 1958

Location: Brussels (Belgium)
Art. 17 TEU
The executive body of the EU
What does the Commission do?
1. Proposes new laws
2. Manages EU policies & allocates EU funding
3. Enforces EU law
4. Represents the EU internationally
Composition
The College of Commissioners includes:
•
•
•
•
The President of Commission
7 Vice-Presidents
The High-Representative of the Union for Foreign Policy and Security Policy
20 Commissioners in charge of portfolios
The Commission is divided into departments known as Directorates-General
(DGs) that cover a specific policy area.
The Commission's term of office is five years ( renewable).
Appointing
Taking account of the results of the European Parliament elections,
national leaders in the European Council
propose
selects
The presidential candidate,
who needs the support of a majority of members of the
European Parliament in order to be elected.
potential Vice-Presidents and Commissioners
based on suggestions from the EU countries.
The list of nominees has to be approved by
national leaders in the European Council.
Finally, they are appointed by the
European Council, by a qualified
majority.
Each nominee appears before the European Parliament to
explain their vision and answer questions. Parliament
then votes on whether to accept the nominees as a team.
Collective decision making
The President defines
the policy direction for
the Commission
All Commissioners are
equal in the decisionmaking process and
equally accountable for
their decisions.
Commissioners support
Vice-Presidents in
submitting proposals to
the College
Decisions are made by
consensus, but votes
can also take place
(simple majority, where
each Commissioner has
one vote)
Legislative proposals are
then resubmitted to the
Commissioners for
adoption, after which
they become official, and
are sent to the Council
and the Parliament for
the next stage in the EU
legislative process.
THE END