1. The European
Institutions

2. The European Council (Brussels)

3. The European Council WHAT IS IT?
It defines the general political direction
and priorities of the European Union. With the entry
into force of the Treaty of Lisbon on 1 December 2009
It became an institution.
WHO IS THE PRESIDENT?
Its President is Herman Van Rompuy
HOW IS IT COMPOSED?
The European Council consists of the Heads of State
or Government of the Member States, together with its
President and the President of the Commission.
WHAT DOES IT DO?
The European Council provides the Union with the
necessary impetus for its development and defines the
general political directions and priorities thereof. It
does not exercise legislative functions.

4. The European Parliament
Strasbourg
Brussels

5. The European Parliament
WHAT IS IT?
The European Parliament is the only
supranational institution whose members
are democratically elected by direct universal
suffrage. It represents the people of the Member
States.
WHO IS THE PRESIDENT?
Its President is Jerzy Buzek
HOW IS IT COMPOSED?
The European Parliament is made up of 736
Members elected in the 27 Member States by
direct universal suffrage for a five-year period.
WHAT DOES IT DO?
The European Parliament shares legislative
power equally with the Council of the European
Union.

6. The European Commission (Brussels)

7. The European Commission
WHAT IS IT? The European Commission is the EU's
executive body.
WHO IS THE PRESIDENT? José Manuel Barroso.
HOW IS IT COMPOSED? It is composed by 27
Members, one from each Member State.
WHAT DOES IT DO? It represents and upholds the
interests of Europe as a whole. It drafts proposals for new
European laws. The Commission also makes sure that
everyone abides by the European treaties and laws.
Maria Damanaki
Michel Bernier
Olli Rehn
Antonio Tajani
Gunter Oettinger

8. The Court of Auditors
Luxembourg

9. The Court of Auditors WHAT IS IT? WHO IS THE PRESIDENT?
The European Court of Auditors is the EU
institution established by the Treaty to carry out
the audit of EU finances.
WHO IS THE PRESIDENT?
Vitor Manuel da Silva Caldeira
HOW IS IT COMPOSED?
It is composed by 27 Members, one from each
Member State.
WHAT DOES IT DO?
The European Court of Auditors checks that EU
funds are correctly accounted for and spent in
compliance with the rules and legislation, with
due consideration for achieving best value for
money, irrespective of where the funds are spent

10. The Court of Justice
Since the establishment of the Court of Justice of the European Union in 1952
,its mission has been to ensure that "the law is observed" "in the interpretation
and application" of the Treaties.
WHAT DOES IT DO?
As part of that mission, the Court of Justice of the European Union:
reviews the legality of the acts of the institutions of the European Union,
ensures that the Member States comply with obligations under the Treaties,
And interprets European Union law at the request of the national courts and
tribunals.The Court constitutes the judicial authority of the European Union and,
in cooperation with the courts and tribunals of the Member States, it ensuresthe
uniform application and interpretation of European Union law.

11. The Court of Justice
Luxembourg

12. It consists of three courts: The importance of languages
the Court of Justice
the General Court (created in 1988)
the Civil Service Tribunal (created in 2004)
Since their establishment approximately judgments have been delivered by the three courts.
The importance of languages
As each Member State has its own language and specific legal system, the Court of Justice of the European Union is a multilingual institution. Its language arrangements have no equivalent in any other court in the world, since each of the official languages of the European Union can be the language of a case.

13. HOW IS IT COMPOSED? The Court of Justice is composed of
27 Judges and eight Advocates General.
The Judges and Advocates General are
appointed by common accord of the
governments of the Member States.
They are appointed for a term of office of
six years, which is renewable The Judges
of the Court of Justice elect one of
themselves as President for a renewable
term of three years. The Advocates
General assist the Court.
The Court may sit as
a full court in case of exceptional
importance.
in a Grand Chamber of 13 Judges
in Chambers of three or five Judges.