EU : the main institutions

European elections will take place from June 6 to 9. Here's how the main institutions work, in a videographic. VIDEOGRAPHIC

Transcript

00:00The main European institutions are the Commission, the European Council, and the Parliament.

00:11The Commission proposes laws, called directives or regulations.

00:15It comprises 27 Commissioners, one per country member, whose nomination is proposed by the

00:20European Council and approved by the Parliament.

00:22The Commissioners do not advocate the interests of their country of origin, but those of the

00:26EU as a whole.

00:28The European Council sets the general political direction of the EU.

00:32It is composed of the heads of state or government of member countries, who meet at least four

00:37times per year in Brussels.

00:38In parallel, the ministers of all EU states responsible for particular policy areas, such

00:44as agriculture or finance, have regular meetings.

00:47They are referred to as the Council of the European Union.

00:50It is chaired on a six-month rotation by each member country.

00:53The ministers decide the legislative proposals made by the Commission, which they jointly

00:58adopt with the European Parliament.

01:00Parliament is the only EU institution whose members are elected, but it only has a share

01:04of the power to make laws.

01:06It cannot initiate legislation.

01:08However, it can amend and vote on the proposals of the Commission, in consultation with the

01:13Council of the European Union.

01:15In certain areas, such as taxation, its advice is only consultative.

01:20The member states must then apply the European laws, with the Commission overseeing their

01:24application.

01:28For more UN videos visit www.un.org