The Institutions' Role in Legislative Procedures
The seven EU institutions, their websites, and the short synopsis of those institutions who directly participate in legislative procedures.
The Council of the European Union is also known under the name: Council of Ministers, being the main decision-making body in the EU. It has both executive and legislative powers and is composed of representatives of at least ministerial level from Member State governments. This could include ministers from devolved legislatures, but acting on behalf of the Member State as a whole. The Council meets in a number of subject-based configurations (e.g. as the Transport Council or the Social Affairs Council), but the main Council is the General Affairs and External Relations Council (GAERC). Foreign Affairs ministers attend the GAERC to deal with external relations and general policy questions The Member State holding the EU Presidency is responsible for organizing Council business and for chairing Council meetings, except for the Foreign Affairs Council, which is presided over by the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.
The Presidency is supported by a permanent general secretariat divided into directorates-general dealing with the various policy areas, by the Committee of Permanent Representatives (COREPER, comprising officials from the Member States) and a number of Working Groups.
(Vaughne Miller, Emma Clark. The European Union: a guide to terminology, procedures and sources. House of commons Library.)
The Commission promotes the general interest of the EU and takes appropriate initiatives to that end. It ensures the application of the Treaties and of measures adopted by the institutions pursuant to them; oversees the application of EU law under the control of the Court of Justice of the European Union; executes the budget and manages programmes; exercises coordinating, executive and management functions; ensures the EU's external representation (with the exception of the common foreign and security policy); initiates the EU’s annual and multiannual programming with a view to achieving interinstitutional agreements. The Commission’s term of office is five years. The Commission appointed between the date of entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon and 31 October 2014 consists of one national of each Member State, including its President and the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy who is one of its Vice- Presidents. From 1 November 2014 the Commission consists of a number of members, including its President and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, corresponding to two thirds of the number of Member States. The members of the Commission shall be chosen from among the nationals of the Member States on the basis of a system of strictly equal rotation between the Member States, reflecting the demographic and geographical range of all the Member States.
The European Parliament exercises jointly with the Council legislative and budgetary functions, functions of political control and consultation, it elects the President of the Commission. The European Parliament is composed of representatives of the EU citizens whose number does not exceed seven hundred and fifty in number, plus the President. With the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon the number of the MEPs was temporarily increased to 754, but by the next elections of 2014 the maximum of 751 MEPs will be restored. Representation of citizens in the European Parliament is degressively proportional, with a minimum threshold of six members per Member State. No Member State is allocated more than 96 seats. The MEPs are elected for a term of five years by direct universal suffrage in a free and secret ballot.
Court of Justice of the European Union