European Union Institutions Commission

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European Union InstitutionsCommission Court of
Justice Agencies
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Further links

• The official website of the European Commission
• http//ec.europa.eu
• The official website of the European Court of
  Justice
• http//curia.europa.eu

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References, sources of information

• Relevant parts of theTreaty (TEC)
• Article 7 - 10
• Article 105 115
• Article 189 -267
• Rules of Procedure of the respective
• Institutions and bodies
• Commission OJ L 308 08/012/2000
• European Court of Justice OJ L 176 04/07/1991
• Rules of Procedure
• http//eur-lex.europa.eu/smartapi/cgi/sga_doc?smar
  tapi!celexplus!prod!CELEXnumdocnumdoc32000Q3614
  lgen
• http//eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/site/en/oj/200
  4/l_106/l_10620040415en00220045.pdf
• http//www.europarl.europa.eu/omk/sipade3?PROGRUL
  ES-EPLENREFTOC
• http//curia.europa.eu/en/instit/txtdocfr/txtsenvi
  gueur/txt5.pdf

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Institutions and other bodies

• Article 7
• The tasks entrusted to the Community shall be
  carried out by the following institutions
• EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT,
• COUNCIL,
• COMMISSION,
• COURT OF JUSTICE,
• COURT OF AUDITORS.
• The Council and the Commission shall be assisted
  by
• Economic and Social Committee
• Committee of the Regions acting in an advisory
  capacity.

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European CommissionArticle 211-219

• Representing the interests of the Community
• The term COM is used in two senses
• the Commissioners - the College(27)
• special composition between May-October 2004
• profound knowledge of their portfolio
• principle of collective responsibility - acting
  by simple majority
• the Institution itself and staff
• 37 Directorates General and Services
• Led by the Director General / Directors / Head of
  Units / Desk
• Code of good administrative behaviour (Rules of
  Procedure)
• Dealing with inquiries - reply must be sent
  within 15 working days
• Staff Regulations amended in 2004
• Seat Brussels
• Some offices in Luxembourg DG INFSO, OPOCE,
  translators, etc.
• and representations in MSs / delegations in 3rd
  countries

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Roles of the Commission I.

• Exclusive right of initiative - power to propose
  legislation
• White Paper, Green Paper
• Obligation to consult the advisory bodies (EESC,
  CoR)
• (!) Article 192 the EP can request the COM to
  propose
• Procedure European Council Consultation - COM
  draft proposal impact assessment - Lead service
  Interservice consultation (CIS) Special chefs
  Hebdo College meeting Commission proposal

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Roles of the Commission II.

• Manage and implement EU policies and budget
• Supervision of implementation
• Coordination with Member States
• Execution powers comitology
• Enforce Community Law
• Infringement procedure see section on Court
• Representing the EU on the international stage
• WTO
• Commercial negotiations
• Fisheries etc.

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• Secretariat-General
• Legal Service
• DG Communication
• Bureau of European Policy Advisers (BEPA)
• Economic and Financial Affairs DG
• Enterprise and Industry DG
• Competition DG
• Employment, Social Affairs and Equal
  Opportunities DG
• Agriculture and Rural Development DG
• Energy and Transport DG
• Environment DG
• Research DG
• Joint Research Centre
• Information Society Media DG
• Fisheries and Maritime Affairs DG
• Internal Market and Services DG
• Regional Policy DG
• Taxation and Customs Union DG
• Education and Culture DG

• External Relations DG
• Trade DG
• Development DG
• Enlargement DG
• Eurostat
• DIGIT DG for Informatics
• Budget DG
• Internal audit service
• Europe Aid Cooperation Office
• Humanitarian Aid DG (ECHO)
• European Anti-Fraud Office - OLAF
• Personnel and Administration DG
• Interpretation DG
• DG Translation
• Publications Office
• OIB - Office for Infrastructure and Logistics -
  Brussels
• PMO - Office for administration and payment of
  individual entitlements
• OIL - Office for Infrastructure and Logistics -
  Luxembourg
• EPSO - European Personnel Selection Office

Commission DGs and other services
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Structure of the Secretariat General
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European Courts Article 220-246

• Court of Justice of the European Communities
• Was set up under the Treaty of Paris 1952 (ECSC)
• Composition - 1 judge per Member State
• Can sit in Full court (27 judges) or Grand
  Chamber (13 judges) or chambers of 5 or 3 judges
• Appointed for a term of 6 years by joint
  agreement of the MSs
• President for 3 years
• 8 advocates general
• role presenting reasoned opinions
  (conclusions) to Court
• Seat - Luxembourg
• President Vassilios Skouris

• Actions for failure to fulfil obligations
• Actions for annulment
• Actions for failure to act
• Appeals on points of law
• References for a preliminary ruling (!)

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European Courts

• Court of First Instance
• 1 judge per each Member State
• was created in 1989
• powers are extended by the Nice Treaty
• no advocates general
• President Marc Jaeger (previously Bo
  Vesterdorf)

• Actions for annulment
• Actions for failure to act
• Actions for damages
• Actions based on an arbitration clause

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European Union Civil Service Tribunal

• European Union and not of European Communities
  powers are not related to the 3-pillar
  structure
• 7 judges in all
• was created in 2005
• powers limited to EU staff cases
• no advocates general
• Can sit in full chamber or chambers of 5 or 3
  judges
• President P. Mahoney

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Primary sources of EU law
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Secondary sources of EU law

• Regulations EU laws
• Directives EU framework laws
• Decisions
• Opinions / recommendations
• Court judgements

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EU Agencies

• Overview
• Specialised, decentralised
• Tasks of legal, technical and/or scientific
  nature
• Community agencies
• Governed by European public law
• Distinct from Community Institutions
• Own legal personality
• Set up by an act of secondary legislation
• First pillar
• Common Foreign and Security Policy agencies
• Second pillar
• Police and judicial cooperation in criminal
  matters agencies
• Fight against organised international crime
• Third pillar
• Executive agencies

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European Community agencies 1/2

• European Centre for the Development of Vocational
  Training (Cedefop) - Thessaloniki
• European Foundation for the Improvement of Living
  and Working Conditions (EUROFOUND) - Dublin
• European Environment Agency (EEA) - Copenhagen
• European Training Foundation (ETF) - Turin
• European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug
  Addiction (EMCDDA) - Lisbon
• European Medicines Agency (EMEA) - London
• Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market
  (Trade Marks and Designs) (OHIM) - Alicante
• European Agency for Safety and Health at Work
  (EU-OSHA) - Bilbao
• Community Plant Variety Office (CPVO) - Angers
• Translation Centre for the Bodies of the European
  Union (CdT) - Luxembourg
• European Fundamental Rights Agency - Vienna
• previously European Monitoring Centre on Racism
  and Xenophobia (EUMC)
• European Agency for Reconstruction (EAR) -
  Thessaloniki
• European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) - Parma
• European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) - Lisbon
• European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) - Cologne
• European Network and Information Security Agency
  (ENISA) - Heraklion
• European Centre for Disease Prevention and
  Control (ECDC) - Stockholm
• European Global Navigation Satellite System
  Supervisory Authority

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European Community agencies 2/2

• European Railway Agency (ERA) -
  Valenciennes/Lille
• European Agency for the Management of Operational
  Cooperation at the External Borders of the Member
  States of the European Union (FRONTEX, also
  AMOCEB) - Warsaw
• European Defence Agency (EDA) - Brussels
• European Institute for Security Studies (ISS) -
  Paris
• European Union Satellite Centre (EUSC) - Torrejón
  de Ardoz in Spain
• Intelligent Energy Executive Agency (IEEA)
  Brussels
• These agencies are not always considered among
  the above grouping
• European Police College (CEPOL) - Bramshill,
  United Kingdom
• Europol (European Police Office) - The Hague
• Eurojust (European body for the enhancement of
  judicial co-operation) - The Hague
• Community Fisheries Control Agency - Vigo, Spain,
  currently in Brussels
• European Chemicals Agency Helsinki, Finland ,
  under preparation
• Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive
  Agency - Brussels
• Executive Agency for the Public Health Programme
  Luxembourg

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One example

• Which of the following is not an institution
  under the EC Treaty?
• a) European Parliament
• b) Court of Auditors
• c) Committee of Regions
• d) Court of Justice