The role of the EU
organs
Zsolt Becsey
Development and implementation
of the Lisbon system
• The Convention made the decision by June 2003 - at that time the
ten CEEC countries were already members, including Hungary. In the
Convention, not only the government representatives of the member
states, but also their parliaments, the EP and candidate countries
were represented.
• IGC negotiations, which ended in October 2004 with the signing of
the Constitutional Treaty. However, this was rejected in
referendums in France and the Netherlands. (The referendum was
successful in Spain and Luxembourg.)That's why an un. with a
reform agreement, reducing its supranational features - e.g.
maintaining the principle of one country, one security - after a
long ratification, it will enter into force on the first of
December 2009. This is now the basis of the functioning of the
Union.
• The Union was granted legal status and the Charter of Fundamental
Rights was incorporated into its basic treaty system. The method
of amending the Basic Treaty of the Union was simplified (this
also came in handy in the crisis management of the Eurozone), and
the legal possibility of withdrawal was created (the United
Kingdom took advantage of it on March 29, 2017).
• Foreign and security policy and internal and judicial cooperation
Main organs and decisionmaking bodies of the EU
• The most extensive international organizations can be classified
on the basis of the decision-making bodies: the Council, which
includes governments, the directly elected Parliament, the
Commission - which is also an executive body - there is the Court
of Justice and the Court of Auditors. Consultation bodies are the
Economic and Social Council and the Council of Regions. There is
an Ombudsman.
• The main decision-making body is the Council of the Union, which
meets in several configurations, but under the leadership of the
same member state - now except for the Council of Foreign Affairs.
The program of the consecutive presidents is made by coordinating
3 consecutive presidents. In the case of a qualified majority,
decisions are made by a double majority. The principle of the
qualified majority has been extended in the unified EU
organization. In internal market issues, e.g. only taxation was
left out (the latter requires a unanimous vote).
• Two new positions were created: the President of the European
Council - which here became one of the constitutional institutions
of the Union - and the High Representative for Foreign Affairs,
who presides over the session of the Foreign Affairs Council. The
European Council makes strategic decisions, not legislation.
Generally, strategic decisions are made by consensus.
Duties of the EU Council of
Ministers
• Legislation (on the proposal of the Commission and in
most cases together with the Parliament).
• Coordination of the economic policies of the member
states.Conclusion of international contracts.
• Adopting a budget together with the EP.Coordination and
development of common foreign and security policy and
internal and judicial cooperation.
• In its decision-making since 2014, the principle of a
double majority applies to decisions requiring a
qualified majority (55% of the member states, but at
least 15%, or 65% of the population), but they usually
strive for consensus, there is no voting.
• There is a simple decision or consensus - apart from
tax matters, e.g. refugee policy as well. Their
representation is at the ambassadorial level. It is
carried out by COREPER on site.
European Parliament
• Europe's only supranational, directly elected body since
1979.From a consultative body, it gradually became an
increasingly powerful legislative power.
• Now, in the co-decision (ordinary legislative process since
LSZ) process, he can really have a say in the birth of
legislation, and there are places where he exercises the
right of cooperation (special) or veto (international
treaties and admission of new members, ECB procedure, catchup fund rules).
• Democratic control and election of the other main bodies
outside the Council: Audit Office, but especially the
Commission, where it can also vote on a motion of no
confidence, and can also propose written and oral questions.
• Creates a budget together with the Council, on the
recommendation of the Commission.
• It works in factions, only within it are national groups.It
works in standing committees, there are subcommittees, ad
hoc committees and so on; Also delegations for relations
with the parliaments of external partners.
European Comission
• It is independent, but the governments of the
member states nominate one person each, and the
Parliament votes as a body.
• Its president is now nominated by the strongest
faction (usually the EPP).It means both the
College (Commissioners) and the apparatus (the
latter more than 30 Directorate Generals).
• Only he can independently initiate legislation the EP does not have independent legislative
powers on collective or representative motions,and
can even withdraw its proposal.
• It adopts implementation rules,and conducts
comitology (involving experts from member state
governments).Guardian of treaties, it can also
take member states to Court.
• Manages the EU budget, develops proposals for
Other bodies
• Court of Auditors: Checks the spending of EU
funds. It reports to the Parliament.
• European Central Bank = ECB, the central bank
of the Eurozone. (More broadly, the European
system of Central Banks)It is led by the
Governing Council - the central banks of all
member states are members of it.They are
responsible for monetary policy: they influence
it through monitoring inflation (target 2%),
base interest rate and other
operations.Monitoring foreign exchange reserves
and exchange rates.Last resort function:
tightening or releasing cash deposits to the
market, especially in the case of dealing with
Some important aspects
• Union budget: 1% of GNI. Net contributors usually do
not exceed 0.5% of GNI, net beneficiaries are now only
around 3-4%.
• Economic policy coordination has been important in
recent times: semester system, economic and employment
guidelines for the other member states, ten-year common
competitiveness programs, horizontal community
programs.
• The EU is the largest international donor, it
coordinates the aid policy of the member states and
provides aid itself. It applies preferential trade
regimes to the developing world.It is increasingly
active in foreign and security policy, especially in
the field of consolidating the security situation.
• In the field of internal affairs and justice, it
affects increasingly important issues of sovereignty -
Some results
• 1870: Europe produced 45% of the world's GDP.
The 23 Western countries produced 3X as much as
the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand
combined
• In 1913, this was only 27%, the Anglo-Saxon
colonies already produced a 70% higher GDP per
capita. USA is 143% of Western Europeans!
• 1938. Western Europe accounts for only 47% of
the American GDP per capita.1945: one third,
35% of the former Western Europe of the US
level