You’ve heard of the European Union, but
what about the European Commission? Or the European Council? Or what about the European Parliament? Yes, the EU is a complex system. So complicated that even former U.S. Secretary
of State Henry Kissinger, reportedly once asked “Who do I call, if I want to call
Europe?” As the name suggests, the European Union
is a political and economic union of 28 European countries. The genesis of the EU can be traced to the
aftermath of the two world wars, which were responsible for millions of deaths and a devastated
European economy. In 1958, six founding countries, Belgium,
Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, came together to form
the European Economic Community. The idea was that with increased economic
cooperation, they would be less likely to be drawn into a conflict. What started as a purely economic partnership
has evolved over the past 60 years into other policy areas too. These include climate,
security, and foreign relations. To represent this broader remit, the
European Economic Community became the European Union in 1993. So, how does the EU work? Well, one big thing to note is that there
is no single leader of the European Union. Instead, its responsibilities are spread across
seven institutions, but we’re going to focus on the three main ones:
The European Commission, the European Parliament and the
Council of the European Union. Let’s start with the European Commission. This is the engine room of the EU - the executive
body that proposes new laws. Every member state has its own commissioner
but they’re supposed to be politically independent, bound by a promise to represent the interests
of the EU before their home countries. Each commissioner is in charge of a specific
portfolio - similar to a government’s cabinet of ministers. This institution is based in the Belgian capital,
Brussels. Now, the European Parliament. It is based here in Brussels but also in the
French city of Strasbourg, where its members meet 12 times per year. This is
where lawmakers vote on laws. Presently, it has 751 Members of the European
Parliament, or MEPs, from 28 member states. However, with the U.K.’s departure from the EU,
that number is set to come down to 705. Importantly, this is the only European institution
that directly represents EU citizens. Every five years, citizens elect their representatives
to the European Parliament. Finally, let’s look at the Council of the
European Union. It’s made of ministers from the different
EU member states. Ministers with similar roles, whether it
be overseeing finance, education or defense, meet regularly to discuss, amend and adopt
laws. The Council of the European Union, together
with the European Parliament, are the main decision-making bodies of the EU. But don’t confuse the Council of the European
Union with the European Council. The leaders of the EU also meet in this building
for quarterly summits. Discussions here often happen at the highest
level, which is why you’ll see heads of state like the chancellor of Germany and president
of France meeting up in Brussels. Other important European bodies include the
European Court of Justice, the Court of Auditors and the European Central Bank. Based in Luxembourg, the ECJ ensures European
law is interpreted and applied in the same way across the EU. Kind of like the
U.S. Supreme Court. Also in Luxembourg is the Court of Auditors. It acts like the union’s CFO, responsible
for looking after the Community budget. And then there is the European Central Bank
in Frankfurt, which sets monetary policy in the eurozone. Yes, that’s right. The eurozone, not the EU. This is another important distinction. Currently, only 19 of the 28 EU member states
form the eurozone, while the remaining nine are still using their own national currencies. The EU is a complex political arrangement. Critics say it will not survive due to the
many differences of opinion between and within each country. And with tens of thousands of people across
dozens of nationalities working for the EU, its institutions have also been criticized
for its bureaucracies and complexities, saying it makes it hard to get things done. At the same time, this arrangement has lasted
more than 60 years and has so far achieved its main aim: avoiding war between the neighboring
countries.
