EU Flashcards
What is the European Commission?
Main executive power
Consists of commissioners from each member state
Each commissioner have their own policy area, which they are responsible for
The Commission is divided into Directorates-Generals (DG), which are each responsible for a different area of EU policy
Election: the EU Parliament (EP) nominates the Commission President. The rest of the commissioners are nominated by each EU government and approved by the European Council and the EP.
What it does: proposes EU legislation, manages and implements EU policy, enforce EU law along side ECJ.
Margrethe Vester, Ursula von der Leyen
What is the European Parliament (EP)
Legislative power along side the Council of the European Union (“ministerrådet”)
Election: 736 MEP (members) from the EU-states, who are selected by the national citizens in each state.
In the EP the MEP’s join together in transnational political groups.
What it does: amends and adopts EU legislation, the budget, and moniters other EU institutions.
Can censure the Commission by af 2/3 majority.
Committees in the EP: these are specialized bodies to manage the legislative workload and consists of the MEP’s.
Each committee have a Rapporteur: they have the responsibility to write a report from the committee about what to do within a given policy area
=> the starting point for the”plenary stage” in the EP (discussion about policy for alle MEP’s)
What is The European Court of Justice?
Also called ECJ, its the judicial authority.
not a focus in this course!!
1 judge pr. member state, 8 advicates general
What is the European Council?
No formal power, but it decides the overall political agenda for the EU.
Made up of the heads of state/government from each member state
Important for EU in times of crisis eg. Corona and Brexit negotiations.
What is the Council of the European Union? (“the Council”)
A legislative AND executive body
Legislative: it adopts EU legislation and the budget
Executive: coordinated the broad economic policy goals of the states, proposes reforms, ect.
Made up of ministers from the member states’ governments
How it works: the ministers for different policy areas is present when their area of policy is being discussed. This means that the composition of the Council depends on what is being discussed.
Along with the EP the Council adopts and oversees the implementation of the different policies, as proposed by the Commission.
The Council has committees and Working groups: prepare the work for the council, negotiates, pre-solves as much as possible.
Voting usually is passed by QMV “Qualified Majority Voting”, meaning 55% of governments representing 65% of the european population
What is the Directorates General (DG)?
There is a DG connected to each policy area within the Commission work
DGs work like ‘embedsværket’ med ‘embedsmænd’
- Oversee implementation
- research, analyses and consultation to formulate policies, regulations and directives
- coordinates with the EP and the Council throughout the legislative proces
The legislative proces (den lovgivende proces)
By the EP and The Council (“ministerrådet”)
- 1st reading:
Commission propose
EP and Council reads and either approves and adopts, or only the Council approves and adopts - 2nd reading:
The position / proposal by the Commission can be rejected by the EP/Council and they may want to amend the proposed law
EP can approve the Council position and the law is adopted
If EP rejects the Councils position the act is not adopted.
If the Council have amendments after 1st reading the EP can adopt these, and if the Council also accepts the EP’s amendments the act is adopted as well.
If the Council after the 2nd reading DOESNT approve of the EP’s amendments efter the reading, the proces goes on to the 3rd reading
- 3rd reading:
A Concilliation Committee is convened to reach agreement - if they fail, the act is not adopted.
And agreement can be reached in this committee, but if the joint text is not approved by the EP and/or Council the act is also rejected.
If the joint text is approved by the EP and the Council the act is adopted
The legislative proces (when OLP) is accompanied by information interinstitutional negotiations (triloges), which often ends in early agreements
Principle of subsidiarity and Principle of proportionality
“subsidaritetsprincippet” eller “nærhedsprincippet”.
Principle from artikel 5 - means that the commission can only regulate / legislate, when it is better to act on a EU-level, rather than at national level
“proportionalitetsprincippet”
Whatever is decided in EU can not go beyond what is necessary to achieve the aims of the treaties
Neofunctionalism
A step-by-step integration proces leads to more integration. can lead to supranational actors (eg. EU) becoming independent.
Spillover process as the main integration mechanism
Spillover in different areas lead to integration in other ares + the institutions will become more and more independents and get a preference for further integration, which creates even more of a spillover effect.
The International Organization is in focus with its own growing preferences
Liberal Intergovernmentalism
The member states of an institution have their own preferences at all times, however to reach their goals they will participate in the IO’s (eg. EU).
Integration will only happen when there is agreements to do so – “laveste fællesnævner” bestemmer niveauet af integration ved en given besluting.
Sovereignty and delegation are keywords
Failing Forward
A sort of negative feedback mechanism.
Happens when decisions within the EU are incomplete because member states dont commit fully to integration. However, because the solutions to common problems are incomplete, there is a need for further international solutions and thus more integration, that the member states once again wont commit fully to.
Types of legal acts in EU (Policy instruments)
- Decisions: legally binding, imposed on the specific individuals or companies it concerns
- Regulation: legally binding, imposed in all member states regarding both the regulation itself as well as the implementation of it
- Directive: legally binding, imposed on all member states regarding the substance of the directive, however the implementation is up to the member states
- Recommendation and opinions: not legally binding, imposed on both member states and specific actors
What is the Ordinary Legislative Procedure? (OLP)
When the Council and the EP decide together, based on a proposal by the European Commission (who, as we remember, as the only institution which can propose laws)
What is the Special Legislative Procedure?
happens when the Council alone decides.
The EP can reject/accept procedures, but it cant amend. The EP can also publish its opinion, but at the end of the day the Council doesnt need to follow this.
What is a Trilogues-meeting and what role do they play in the legislative proces?
the OLP is accompanied by Trilogues, which is informal interinstitutional negotiations
Trilogues consist of representatives from the Commission (as mediators), the EP (the rapporteurs) and the Council (from the member state which holds the Presidency)
The meetings makes the co-legislaters able to reach agreements faster and at any point during the legislative proces
