In the consent procedure , the Parliament cannot make amendments to a law, but only approve or reject it wholesale. This is the case, for instance, when negotiations about international treaties were concluded by the Commission. In many cases, this leads to disagreements with the Member States. As a consequence, the Commission negotiates or consults with its relevant counterparts in the national governments and administrations. In keeping with its remit, the Commission is frequently rather technical and strict; however, the current President, Jean-Claude Juncker, advocates for a more political Commission.
In the Council, several hundred committees and working groups hash out the fine print on any issue before the ministers in the Council of the European Union or heads of state or government in the European Council discuss and decide on it. All Member States are represented by subject-matter experts at the working level who may negotiate for extended periods of time. In the Council, the founding members of the EU — Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxemburg, and the Netherlands — tend to take the initiative on many topics; it is often their negotiation skill that makes or breaks a decision.
Every time a Member State government changes, the Council changes as well and its power balance shifts. The European Parliament is a sounding board for a broader political spectrum in the EU. That is because, other than the Council, it is not only made up of representatives of the ruling parties in the various Member States, but also of national oppositions. Since the political groups in the Parliament consist of similarly-minded political parties from various Member States, national perspectives play a smaller part than in the Council.
In all, the constellation of Council, Commission, and Parliament, all with their different tasks and characteristics, has proven to be a powerful mechanism to reach consensus even on highly contentious topics, and imposes well-functioning checks and balances on the European Union.
That this is hard and takes time goes with the territory. In many cases, though, such inter-governmental actions eventually make it into the EU proper, such as most prominently the Schengen Agreement. The EU also faces a lot of criticism as a matter of course. Perhaps the most important barrier to discussing and resolving such criticism is that it is very difficult to communicate the European Union appropriately to its citizens. The many different languages stand in the way of a shared and unified understanding even as proficiency in the bridge language English keeps increasing.
Moreover, all Member States have their own public spheres which are largely independent from each other, while there is hardly any European public. In fact, there are also no mainstream media that address the EU as a whole, only a handful of specialised publications. The information and views set out in this text are those of the OPEN Media Hub authors and do not necessarily reflect the official opinion of the European Union. Neither the European Union institutions and bodies nor any person acting on their behalf may be held responsible for the use which may be made of the information contained therein.
Reporting on EU Foreign Policy The treaties have defined three tiers of EU responsibilities : Exclusive competence, where only the EU can make laws and act on them; Shared competence, where the EU can only make laws and act in concert with the Member States; and The competence to provide support and coordination to the Member States.
The shared and support competences follow two basic tenets: Subsidiarity , which entails that the EU may only act if European-level action is better than action by the Member States; and Proportionality , which means that the EU must do what is necessary to achieve an objective, but not more — i. For which policy areas is the EU responsible? It reflects the opinion and strategy of the current governments. The Commission is somewhat similar to ministries at national level.
Like ministers, the Commissioners have specific portfolios and head up the European executive. The Commission works autonomously within its competences, and acts at the behest of the Council and Parliament to prepare new laws and regulations. It is, in turn, divided into two elements, which may easily be confused: The European Council, which is the assembly of the heads of state and government i. EU policies encourage the creation of new businesses and support innovative enterprises in their efforts to scale up.
Enhanced trade agreements open markets for EU businesses, and action can be taken to prevent unfair competition from outside the EU. The EU aims to:. The EU is committed to helping businesses and industry to be competitive and to generate growth and new jobs. The aim is to help European companies to become smarter, more innovative and more sustainable. Industrial policy contributes to competitiveness by establishing appropriate framework conditions such as smart legislation and skills development.
The European Commission has developed sector-specific action plans and legislation to support more than a dozen key industrial sectors, including the chemicals , automotive , food , healthcare , biotechnology and aeronautics industries. The Commission is also responsible for sectors with geostrategic implications and a high degree of public intervention, such as defence , security and space.
As part of the plan, the European Fund for Strategic Investments was created to mobilise investment across Europe. The fund provides guarantees in support of projects financed by the European Investment Bank, focusing on infrastructure, innovation and smaller companies. Around small and medium-sized companies are set to benefit from improved access to finance. The Commission manages several EU programmes to support innovation and entrepreneurship, including:.
Research and innovation are essential to our economy and society. They are at the heart of European efforts to create quality jobs and to boost growth and investment. They also provide us with the knowledge and solutions to tackle both urgent problems such as the Ebola outbreak and long-term societal challenges such as climate change. However, in the face of increasing competition, the EU needs to get better at turning excellent research and innovative ideas into successful products and technologies.
All EU Member States have their own research policies and funding schemes, but many important issues can be best tackled by helping researchers and innovators in different countries to work together. This is why research and innovation is supported at EU level, in particular through the Horizon programme. It is achieving breakthroughs, discoveries and world firsts both in the lab and by taking great ideas from the lab to the market. The European Commission also aims to develop policies that encourage excellent research and boost innovation.
New policies and actions can be grouped under three main themes: open innovation, open science and open to the world. Economic and monetary union and the euro provide the common foundations for greater stability, growth and prosperity across Europe. Economic and monetary union unites and integrates EU economies through coordinated economic and fiscal policies, a common monetary policy and a common currency, the euro.
It is a powerful tool to deliver jobs, growth, social fairness and financial stability, but is a work in progress that still needs to be completed.
The Macroeconomic Imbalance Procedure was also introduced to monitor and correct potentially problematic economic trends in individual Member States and prevent them from affecting others. A single currency is practical for citizens and good for business, and represents a major achievement of European integration. The Investment Plan for Europe , adopted in November , uses public guarantees to stimulate private investment. More than one million small and medium-sized companies are set to benefit from improved access to finance and the plan has helped to boost EU gross domestic product by 0.
The EU is working to ensure the financial system remains strong and secure and that the single market offers consumers and businesses the financial products they need. Financial institutions and markets play a vital role in the stability and growth of the EU economy. They provide funding to households and businesses, allow people to save and invest, provide insurance against risks and facilitate payments.
A failure of the financial system can have wide-ranging consequences. The financial crisis showed that no single EU country can manage the financial sector and supervise financial stability risks alone. This includes strengthening the rules to protect deposits in case of bank failure. The EU aims to build a strong, secure financial sector by strengthening the supervision of financial institutions and regulating complex financial products. The European Commission continues to work on maintaining a stable and resilient financial system and addressing the remaining risks while keeping the regulatory framework up to speed with technological and economic developments.
The single rulebook created common rules for supervising bank capital requirements, improved protection of depositors and managing failing banks. The banking union transferred bank supervision and resolution from national to EU level in the 19 Member States of the euro area.
The capital markets union creates the necessary framework to mobilise capital in Europe and channel it to all companies, including small and medium-sized enterprises, and infrastructure projects that need it to expand and create jobs. There is not as yet a fully integrated EU single market for consumer financial services , which still operate largely on a national basis. This makes it difficult for consumers to access or transfer financial products like bank accounts, credit cards, mortgages and insurance across borders.
The EU is working on making financial services work better for consumers and small investors. For example, it has taken measures to guarantee an EU-wide right of access to basic bank accounts.
It also seeks to further harness the potential of digitalisation and technological developments to improve consumer access to financial services. The EU has presented an Action Plan on sustainable finance , which is investment that takes into account environmental, social and governance considerations. It fuels growth and jobs and makes everyday life easier for people and businesses. Thanks to the single market sometimes also called the internal market people, goods, services and money can move around the EU almost as freely as within a single country.
EU citizens can study, live, shop, work and retire in any EU country, and enjoy products from all over Europe. Hundreds of technical, legal and bureaucratic barriers to free trade and free movement between EU Member States have been removed to make things flow more easily within the single market. As a result, companies have expanded their operations and competition has brought prices down and given consumers more choice.
For example, phone calls in Europe are much cheaper, and airfares have fallen significantly and new routes have opened up. At the same time, the EU works to ensure that these greater freedoms do not undermine fairness, consumer protection or environmental sustainability.
The European Commission works with authorities and stakeholders in Member States to monitor and enforce the existing rules so that people and businesses can benefit from the opportunities offered by the single market.
However, some barriers remain to a fully functioning single market. The EU is in particular working to:. The Your Europe portal provides information on living, working, travelling, studying and doing business in another EU country.
But it can also pose challenges to consumers, especially in fast-developing areas like digital, energy and financial services. The EU also provides help to resolve disputes with traders quickly and efficiently. These low-cost, fast procedures can be used for both domestic and cross-border disputes. The online dispute resolution platform allows consumers and traders to resolve disputes over online purchases entirely online. The European Consumer Centres Network provides free help and advice to consumers on their cross-border purchases.
Stringent safety standards apply to toys, electrical appliances, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals, and strict rules ensure that unsafe products are recalled from the market. EU competition rules aim to ensure that all companies compete fairly and equally in the single market to the benefit of consumers, businesses and the European economy as a whole.
Together with national competition authorities and national courts, the European Commission enforces EU competition policy and rules to ensure that companies compete fairly with each other. This helps to reduce prices and improve quality, encourages innovation and efficiency and creates a wider choice for consumers.
EU investigations into anti-competitive practices can cover not only goods but also professions and services. The Commission monitors the assistance Member State governments give to businesses to ensure that it does not give certain companies an unfair advantage over their competitors. State aid may be allowed if it helps or promotes disadvantaged regions, small and medium-sized businesses, research and development, environmental protection, training, employment or culture.
Big firms are barred from using their bargaining power to impose conditions that would make it difficult for their suppliers or customers to do business with their competitors.
Search for cases here. Member State governments are broadly free to design their tax laws according to their national priorities. However, in doing so they must respect certain fundamental principles, such as non-discrimination and respect for free movement of goods and services in the single market.
A single country cannot tackle these issues on its own, so EU Member States work together to make sure that taxation is fair. The EU does not have a direct role in raising taxes or setting tax rates. The governments of all Member States must agree when it comes to making EU decisions on tax issues so that the interests of every EU country are taken into account. For some taxes, such as value added tax or excise duties on petrol, tobacco and alcohol, Member States have agreed to broadly align their rules and minimum rates to avoid unfair competition within the single market.
The tax laws of one Member State should not allow people or businesses to escape taxation in another. EU-wide action is essential to tackle the problem. Following the adoption of an EU action plan in many legislative steps have been taken to fight tax fraud, evasion and avoidance.
A customs union means that the countries involved apply the same tariffs to goods imported into their territory from the rest of the world, and apply no tariffs internally. In the case of the EU this means that there are no customs duties to be paid when goods are transported from one Member State to another.
The EU customs union is one of the few exclusive competences of the European Union. The European Commission proposes legislation on EU customs affairs and makes sure it is being implemented. They protect consumers from goods that could be dangerous or bad for their health and protect animals and the environment against plant and animal diseases. They also contribute to the fight against organised crime and terrorism and make sure European treasures are not smuggled out.
The customs services also prevent illegal exports of waste, since protecting the environment is one of their key tasks. For businesses, the customs union means that regardless of where goods enter the EU the same rules apply, and once the goods have cleared customs they can circulate freely or be sold anywhere within the EU customs territory. In , for example, almost million customs declarations were handled by more than 2 EU customs offices working days a year.
The EU promotes poverty eradication, human development, sustainable growth and good governance. It does this by creating partnerships to address global challenges such as climate change, natural resources depletion and irregular migration.
The EU upholds effective multilateralism and works with all stakeholders, since current challenges call for more multilateral governance and rules-based international cooperation. The EU sees international partnerships as an investment in a viable, sustainable and shared future.
The EU structures its external action around:. The EU is also is leading the charge to make safe and effective vaccines accessible to all. The EU Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy focuses on protecting and empowering individuals, building resilient, inclusive and democratic societies and promoting human rights worldwide. The EU encourages stable democracies and economies in neighbouring countries by building tailor-made partnerships based on shared interests and cooperation at bilateral or regional level.
In addition, in the Southern Neighbourhood the EU works alongside its partners to resolve crises such as in Syria or Libya , and to regulate migration flows. The prospect of EU membership is a powerful stimulus for democratic and economic reforms in European countries that want to join the EU.
It helps to foster reconciliation and stability. A European country can only become an EU Member State if it meets democratic standards including the rule of law, human rights and respect for and protection of minorities ; has a functioning market economy and the capacity to cope with competition and market forces in the EU; and can take on the responsibilities of EU membership.
The European Union has a strategic interest in a stable and secure environment in the eastern Mediterranean and in the development of a cooperative and mutually beneficial relationship with Turkey.
The EU has provided emergency response, supported research, health and water systems and addressed the economic and social consequences of the pandemic. The EU champions free trade. The EU fights for open, rules-based markets, a level playing field and the highest international standards across the world. The EU negotiates and agrees international trade agreements on behalf of its Member States. In February , the European Commission presented a new EU trade strategy , which sets out three main objectives.
At the heart of the strategy is a commitment to reforming the World Trade Organization so that it is better able to respond to the challenges of modern trade. Trade policy can play an important role in combating climate change and environmental degradation. Therefore the EU will improve the implementation and enforcement of sustainable development chapters in its trade agreements.
Specifically, the EU will propose to make respect for the Paris Climate Agreement an essential element in future trade and investment agreements.
The EU stands for open and fair trade and fights against protectionism. It strikes a balance between being open and ensuring that that people and companies are defended against unfair trade practices. With the newly appointed Chief Trade Enforcement Officer , the EU is putting a specific focus on maximising the benefits of trade agreements for companies, in particular SMEs and farmers, and on ensuring that its trade partners honour their commitments, including on sustainable development.
The EU has 46 trade agreements in force with 78 partners around the world. In , the EU reached a new agreement on trade with Mexico , and its trade deal with Vietnam entered into force. The EU provides relief assistance to the people affected by crises. The EU is a leading humanitarian donor in many crises, including the following.
The EU sends teams to help out in many crises within the EU and across the globe through its Civil Protection Mechanism , for example:. The follow-up on security and defence has been particularly swift, with the adoption of a wide-ranging EU security and defence package in to see Europe take more responsibility for these areas. The global strategy set the following five priorities for EU action:. The EU supports countries facing conflict and crisis.
In there were 16 ongoing civilian missions and military operations on three continents. Deployment decisions are made jointly by national ministers from EU countries.
The European Defence Fund launched in coordinates, supplements and amplifies national investments in defence so as to increase outputs and develop defence technology and equipment to meet current and future security needs.
The EU is not simply a single market for goods and services. Europeans share values that are spelled out in the EU treaties and the Charter of Fundamental Rights , which guarantee rights to EU citizens any person who holds the nationality of an EU country is automatically also an EU citizen. The EU also makes life easier for Europeans who study, work or get married in other EU countries by building bridges between the different national legal systems across the EU. A borderless and seamless common justice area will ensure that citizens can rely on a set of rights and can access justice throughout the continent.
This is especially important in civil cases such as divorce, child custody or maintenance claims. Eurojust facilitates cooperation between national justice authorities to help fight serious crimes such as corruption, terrorism, and drug trafficking and distribution, while the European Arrest Warrant has replaced lengthy extradition procedures to return suspected or convicted criminals back to the country where they will be or have been tried. Digital technologies have never been more important in our lives.
During the COVID crisis, they have kept people connected and businesses working, and have proved essential for education and training. They are also crucial to fighting climate change, including through smart energy and transport systems. The groundwork for the digital transformation has already been laid. EU action has brought benefits such as:.
It focuses on three main objectives: technology that works for people, a fair and competitive economy and an open, democratic and sustainable society. The European Commission has proposed a comprehensive set of rules for online platforms operating in Europe to protect the fundamental rights of citizens online, to address online harms and to foster innovation. Beyond that, the strategy also covers everything from cybersecurity and data to digital education and democracy.
It will also ensure wide use of digital technologies across the economy and society, including through digital innovation hubs. Other programmes will also support the digital transition, including Horizon Europe , which focuses on research and technological development, and the digital aspects of the Connecting Europe Facility. The EU has the strictest data protection and privacy rules in the world. These help ensure that the online environment is safe and fair for citizens and businesses alike and protect people, in particular children, from illegal and harmful content.
EU citizens can study, live, shop, work and retire in any EU country - and enjoy products from all over Europe. Should MPs be allowed to do another job?
How Christmas can still sparkle with plastic-free glitter. Meet the year-old world record breaking sprinter! Every six months, a different member state assumes the so-called Presidency of the EU, meaning that it chairs these meetings and sets the overall political agenda.
It drafts proposals for new European laws, which it presents to the European Parliament and the Council. It puts into practice the EU's common policies and manages the EU's funds and programmes. The Commission also plays its role as "guardian of the treaties" making sure that everyone abides by the EU treaties and laws. It can act against rule-breakers, taking them to the European Court of Justice if necessary. The president of the Commission is chosen by the 27 EU governments and endorsed by the European Parliament.
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