The European Union
Institutions (The Council(s))
Three key players
The European Parliament
- voice of the people
Martin Schulz, President of
of the European Parliament
The European Council and the Council
- voice of the Member States
Herman Van Rompuy, President of the European Council
The European Commission
- promoting the common interest
José Manuel Barroso, President
of the European Commission
The EU institutions
European Council (summit)*
& IGC
European Parliament
Court of
Justice
Court of
Auditors
European Investment Bank
*Green=
intergovernmental
Council of Ministers*
(The Council)
European Commission
Economic and Social
Committee
Committee of the Regions
Agencies
European Central Bank
How EU laws are made
Citizens, interest groups, experts: discuss, consult
Commission: makes formal proposal
Parliament and Council of Ministers: decide jointly
National or local authorities: implement
Commission and Court of Justice: monitor implementation
SOVEREIGNTY
Black's Law Dictionary
6th Edition
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The supreme, absolute, and uncontrollable power by which any independent state is governed;
supreme political authority;
the supreme will;
paramount control of the constitution and frame of government and its administration; the selfsufficient source of political power, from which all specific political powers are derived;
the international independence of a state, combined with the right and power of regulating its
internal affairs without foreign dictation; also a political society, or state, which is sovereign and
independent.
The power to do everything in a state without accountability, --to make laws, to execute and to
apply them, to impose and collect taxes and levy contributions, to make war or peace, to form
treaties of alliance or of commerce with foreign nations, and the like.
Sovereignty in government is that public authority which directs or orders what is to be done by
each member associated in relation to the end of the association. It is the supreme power by
which any citizen is governed and is the person or body of persons in the state to whom there is
politically no superior. The necessary existence of the state and that right and power which
necessarily follow is "sovereignty.“
By "sovereignty" in its largest sense is meant supreme, absolute, uncontrollable power, the
absolute right to govern. The word which by itself comes nearest to being the definition of
"sovereignty" is will or volition as applied to political affairs.
Bouvier's Law Dictionary
(1856 Edition)
• SOVEREIGN STATE. One which governs itself independently of any foreign power.
• SOVEREIGNTY. The union and exercise of all human power possessed in a state; it
is a combination of all power; it is the power to do everything in a state without
accountability; to make laws, to execute and to apply them: to impose and collect
taxes, and, levy, contributions; to make war or peace; to form treaties of alliance
or of commerce with foreign nations, and the like. Story on the Const. §207.
• Abstractedly, sovereignty resides in the body of the nation and belongs to the
people. But these powers are generally exercised by delegation.
• When analysed, sovereignty is naturally divided into three great powers; namely,
• The first: the legislative, the executive, and the judiciary; the first is the power to make new
laws, and to correct and repeal the old;
• The second: is the power to execute the laws both at home and abroad; and the last is the
power to apply
• The third: the laws to particular facts; to judge the disputes which arise among the citizens,
and to punish crimes.
Council of Ministers – voice of the member states
4One minister from each EU country
4Presidency: rotates every six months
4Decides EU laws and budget together
with Parliament
4Manages the common foreign and
security policy
Council of Ministers – number of votes per country
Germany, France, Italy and the United Kingdom
29
Spain and Poland
27
Romania
14
Netherlands
13
Belgium, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary and Portugal
12
Austria, Bulgaria and Sweden
10
Croatia, Denmark, Ireland, Lithuania, Slovakia and Finland
7
Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Luxembourg and Slovenia
4
Malta
3
Total:
352
“Qualified majority” needed for many decisions:
260 votes and a majority of member states
From 2014: 55% of the Member States with 65% of the population
How the Council Works
• The Council meets in different configurations, bringing together the competent Member
State ministers:
• General Affairs (coordinates the work of the other configurations);
• Foreign Affairs;
• Economic and Financial Affairs;
• Justice and Internal Affairs;
• Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs;
• Competitiveness;
• Transport, Telecommunications and Energy;
• Agriculture and Fisheries;
• Environment;
• Education, Youth and Culture.
COREPER
• The Permanent Representatives Committee or COREPER (Article 240
of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union – TFEU) is
responsible for preparing the work of the Council of the European
Union. It consists of representatives from the Member States with the
rank of Member States’ ambassadors to the European Union and is
chaired by the Member State which holds the Council Presidency.
• COREPER works in two configurations:
• COREPER I, consisting of the deputy permanent representatives, deals with
technical matters;
• COREPER II, consisting of the ambassadors, deals with political, commercial,
economic or institutional matters.
Summit at the European Council
Summit of heads of state and government of all EU countries
4Held at least 4 times a year
4Sets the overall guidelines for EU policies
4President: Herman Van Rompuy
A high representative for foreign affairs and security
Catherine Ashton
Double hat: chairs the Foreign A f f airs
Council meetings + Vice-president of
the European Commission
Manages the common f oreign and
security policy
Head of European External A ction
Service
Europe's response to the economic crisis
2008: Worldwide financial crisis starts in the United States
Coordinated response from the EU's national governments, the
European Central Bank and the European Commission:
4 Commit ment t o t he euro and t o f inancial st abilit y
4 New crisis management t ools and ref orms of rules:
European Stability Mechanism: fund to help extraordinary economic difficulties
EU-wide financial supervisory authorities, new laws for stability of banks
4 Bet t er economic governance:
European Semester: annual procedure to coordinate public budgets
Euro+ pact, "Fiscal compact treaty” : mutual commitments to sound public
finances
Europe 2020 – Europe's growth strategy
EU leaders agreed in 2010 the overall strategy to get out of the
economic crisis by means of:
4 Smart growt h
Better education, more research, greater use of communication technologies
4 Sust ainable growt h
A resource - efficient, greener and more competitive economy
4 Inclusive growt h
More and better jobs, investment in skills and training, modernisation of
the labour market and welfare systems, spreading the benefits of growth to
all parts of the EU
4 Good economic governance
Better coordination of economic policy
The five targets for the EU in 2020
A greed in the Europe 2020 strategy:
4 Employment
75% of 20-64 year-olds to be employed
4 Research and innovation
3% of the EU's GDP to be invested in research
4 Climate change/energy
Greenhouse gas emissions 20% lower than 1990
20% of energy from renewables
20% increase in energy efficiency
4 Education
School drop-out rates below 10%
40% of 30-34–year-olds completing third-level education
4 Poverty
20 million fewer people in, or at risk of, poverty and social exclusion