Min Shu Waseda University 2013/10/15 European Public Policy-Week 3 1
The Institutional Structure of the EU European Commission Council of Ministers European Council European Parliament European Central Bank The Legal Structure of the EU European Court of Justice Three Doctrines of EU Law 2013/10/15 European Public Policy-Week 3 2
European Commission The Council System Council of Ministers European Council European Parliament European Court of Justice European Central Bank European Court of Auditors European Ombudsman 2013/10/15 European Public Policy-Week 3 3
Organization A college structure, one Commissioner from each member state Appointed by the member states, approved by the EP Independent from the national governments, serving Europe A large bureaucratic organization Divided into different DG (directorates-general) Power/Competence Legislative power: right of initiative Executive power: guardian of the Treaty and EU policies Representing the EU: trade policy, external relations, etc. 2013/10/15 European Public Policy-Week 3 4
Organization Nine policy-based Council meetings General Affairs and External Relations; Economic and Financial Affairs (ECOFIN); Justice and Home Affairs (JHA); Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs; Competitiveness; Transport, Telecommunications and Energy; Agriculture and Fisheries; Environment; Education, Youth and Culture Attended by the corresponding ministers of the member states The COREPER (Committee of the Permanent Representatives) The Council Presidency (6-month rotation) The most powerful body in the EU C0-legilation with the EP Coordinate economic policies Conclude international agreements Co-decide the EU budget Common Foreign and Security Policy Justice and Home Affairs 2013/10/15 European Public Policy-Week 3 5
Vote distribution in the Council of Ministers (Nice formula, till 2014) Germany, France, Italy and the United Kingdom: 29 Spain and Poland: 27 Romania: 14 The Netherlands: 13 Belgium, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary and Portugal: 12 Austria, Bulgaria and Sweden: 10 Croatia, Denmark, Ireland, Lithuania, Slovakia and Finland: 7 Cyprus, Estonia, Latvia, Luxembourg and Slovenia: 4 Malta: 3 TOTAL 352 Qualified Majority Voting (QMV) Most of the Council decisions are based on consensus QMV requirements (Nice): a majority of the MSs (representing at least 62% of the total population) & a minimum of 260 votes is cast in favor After 2014 (Lisbon), a qualified majority will require support from 55% of the member states, representing at least 65% of the EU's population. 2013/10/15 European Public Policy-Week 3 6
Summit of the Heads of State and Governments Meet four times a year Making big decisions that may influence the directions of regional integration Rotated Presidency 2013/10/15 European Public Policy-Week 3 7
Organization Election of the European Parliament Every 5 years since 1979 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) 736 in total Party groups EPP (265), S&D (184), ALDE (84), Green/EFA (55), ECR (55), GUE/NGL (35), EFD (31) Places of work Brussels (Belgium), Luxembourg, and Strasbourg (France) Power/Competence Co-legislation Democratic supervision on the Commission and Council Approval of the EU budget 2013/10/15 European Public Policy-Week 3 8
Organization Established in 1998 and based in Frankfurt (Germany) The Executive Board (President, Vice-President and four other members) The Governing Council (Central Banks of the Euro zone 17 members) The General Council (Central Banks of the EU MSs) Power/Competence Manage the Single Currency the Euro Policies of the Economic and Monetary Union Priority: Price stability Enjoying complete independence 2013/10/15 European Public Policy-Week 3 9
Institutional structure European Court of Justice European Court of First Instance Preliminary Rulings and Constitutional Dialogue Based on the Treaty, the ECJ may give preliminary rulings when legal disputes concerning EC law are brought to the national courts of the Member States The preliminary rulings have become a Constitutional Dialogue between the National Courts and the ECJ Based on mutual recognition, the principles of direct effect and supremacy have been gradually established. Yet, the challenge of the German Federal Constitutional Court (GFCC): the GFCC may void any EC act having the effect of depriving German legislative organs of their substantive control over [European] integration 2013/10/15 European Public Policy-Week 3 10
Pre-Emption and Subsidiarity Areas in which the member states are prohibited from legislation because of the law-making power of the EU Three types of EU competence: exclusive competence, shared competence, complementary competence Supremacy EU(EC) law take superiority over national law within the legal competence of the EU The boundary of EU law s supremacy challenged Direct Effect Citizens have the rights under EU law that must be upheld by national courts EU law is enforceable at the level of individual citizens 2013/10/15 European Public Policy-Week 3 11