How does the EU work?
The European Union is a system for making decisions and spending money on a joint rather than individual basis. The Member States of the Union nominate members of the Commission (visit the European Commission website) and judges to the Court of Justice (visit The Court of Justice of the European Communities website), representatives of their own governments sit in the Council of Ministers (visit the Council of the European Union website), and Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) elected by the voters in each country sit in the European Parliament (visit the European Parliament website). Between them these four institutions plus the European Council, composed of heads of state of government, make and interpret the laws of the European Union.
There are various procedures for passing laws, each involving the European Commission, the Council and in most cases the Parliament in the process. The process always starts with a formal proposal or draft directive from the Commission; this may be at the request of the Council of Ministers, the European Parliament, or at the Commission's own initiative. It must, however, be related to an area covered by the Treaties of the European Union. This means the member states have already agreed to act together in that policy area. This is then scrutinised in detail by the Council of Ministers and the European Parliament, who consult with interested groups. Negotiations take place between the institutions and the proposal is adopted, usually with some changes.
The activities and responsibilities of the EU cover many policy areas, including trade, the environment, employment and equal opportunities, agriculture and fisheries. How much legislation there is in a particular area will always depend on how far the countries have agreed to pool sovereignty. For further information on the EU and its activities, please look at the information for each of the institutions on my website and on the main EU website.
