Understanding the EU: Parliament, Council, and Commission

Functions of the European Parliament

Legislative Role

Parliament participates alongside the Council in the legislative process. The standard procedure for approving legislation is codecision, where Parliament and the Council are on equal footing and adopt standards using this procedure. Parliament has limited powers in drafting legislation.

Budgetary Function

This function gives Parliament significant power because it can modify and change the spending approved by the Council. Parliament must approve the EU budget jointly with the Council and may make modifications. Parliament's budgetary control committee monitors how the budget is spent.

Democratic Role

Parliament exercises a supervisory role over the Commission. When appointing a new Commission, Parliament meets with the Commissioners and candidates for President. The Commission is politically responsible to Parliament. Members constantly raise written and oral questions to the Commission. Parliament may table a motion of censure and ask for the Commission's resignation. Parliament also supervises the work of the Council. Parliament can exercise democratic control by examining petitions from citizens and creating temporary committees of inquiry.

The EU Council

The EU Council is the main decision-making body of the EU. It represents the member states, with a minister from each of the national governments of the EU attending its meetings. When major political decisions are made, meetings are attended by Presidents and Prime Ministers. Ministers change depending on the topics on the agenda. The participating ministers are accountable to their governments and to their national parliaments. Each member state has a permanent team in Brussels that represents and defends its national interests within the Union, headed by its country's ambassador to the EU. They meet weekly at the Committee of Permanent Representatives (COREPER).

Responsibilities of the European Council

• Adopting European laws
• Coordinating economic policies
• Concluding international agreements
• Approving the EU budget
• Developing foreign and security policy
• Coordinating cooperation

Decision Making

The most common method is a qualified majority, obtained as follows:

• A majority of Member States must agree.
• There must be a minimum of 232 votes.
• A state may request that the votes represent at least 62% of the total EU population.

The EU Commission

The EU Commission is a politically independent institution that represents and defends the interests of the EU as a whole. It cannot promote the national interests of any Member State or receive instructions from any government. The members of the Commission are called Commissioners. There is one Commissioner per country, determined by a system of rotation. The Commission has its headquarters in Brussels and Luxembourg, with representation offices in most countries.

Functions of the Commission

• Proposing legislation to Parliament and the Council
• Managing EU policies and the budget
• Enforcing European legislation
• Representing the EU internationally