Running the European Union There are 3 main institutions you should be aware of. You should understand what they do.

1. Council of Ministers Described as “the powerhouse of the Union”, the main law- making body of the European Union is the Council of Ministers. The Council of Ministers is made up of one representative from each of the 25 countries of the Union. The ministers representing each government will vary depending on which area of government is being considered; for example, if industry is being discussed, the UK will be represented on the Council by the Secretary of State for Industry. Each member country hosts the Council for 6 months at a time.

The European Council Made up of each of the European heads of government, their meetings are sometimes referred to as ‘European Summits’. Although the European Council is not itself an institution of the European Union, it has the role of defining the Union’s political goals and determining its future direction. This is the highest level of decision making in the EU

2. The European Commission The “driving force” of the EU. The responsibility of the European Commission is to ensure that the terms of the EU’s policies are carried out and that European law is enforced. Another of the Commission’s main functions is to propose policies and submit them to the Council of Ministers and to the European Parliament. Before May 2004, the European Commission consisted of 20 Commissioners - 2 from each of the 5 biggest countries and 1 from each of the other 10. Now, there are 25 Commissioners - one per country. They are responsible for 24 departments - known as Directorates-General. In order to carry out its responsibilities, the Commission has a staff of about people.

3. The European Parliament The Commission must answer to the European Parliament. In fact, the Parliament has the right to sack the entire Commission. The Parliament, like the Commission, can also propose policies to be considered by the Council of Ministers. The Maastricht Treaty increased the powers of the Parliament (because it was felt that the people didn’t have enough say) so that it now has the power to reject law- making decisions of the Council of Ministers. The Parliament is made up of 626 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) elected directly from constituencies all over the European Union.