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35 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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What are the EU institutions?
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European Parliament
Council European Council Commission Court of Justice European Central Bank Court of Auditors |
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What Treaty and which Article provides the list of EU institutions?
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Treaty of the European Union - Article 13
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What is the composition of the European Council?
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Heads of Member States
President of the European Council President of the Commission |
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What is the Presidency of the Council of Ministers?
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Rotation of 6 months and held by each Member State
Currently this is Ireland |
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What is the composition of the Council of Ministers?
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Ministers of the Member States (one each)
Membership changes according to the matter under discussion |
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What is the role of the European Council?
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A non-legislative role
Consults on topical political issues Defines general policy direction for the EU |
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What is the role of the Council of Ministers?
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Exercises legislative AND budgetary functions
N.B - This is along with the European Parliament (co-decision) |
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What powers do the Council of Ministers have?
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Final power of decision on secondary legislation
Can only act on proposal from the Commission Council can delegate power to Commission to enact regulations The work is prepared by COREPER |
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What voting system is used most predominantly in the Council of Ministers?
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Qualified Majority Voting
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When do the Council of Ministers use Qualified Majority Voting?
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When adopting legislation and other topical areas
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What type of voting was retained under the Lisbon Treaty and what was it used for?
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Unanimity Voting
1) Common Foreign and Security Policy 2) Taxation 3) Social Security |
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What system of voting is barely used in the Council of Ministers, now?
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Simple Majority Voting
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How does Qualified Majority Voting operate?
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As a system of weighted votes
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Give an example of how Qualified Majority Voting may work
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E.g. The larger the Member State, the more votes it holds
(qualified majority = 73.91%) (majority states must constitute 62% of EU population) |
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What does a Member State have the power to do with regards to Qualified Majority Voting?
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Has the power of veto to block a proposal
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What is the Treaty of Lisbon changing in relation to Qualified Majority Voting and when?
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At least 55% of Member States need to agree to the proposal and represent 65% of the EU population
A blocking minority must include 4 Member States |
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What is the distribution of votes in the Council of Ministers?
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Germany, France, Italy, UK - 29
Spain, Poland - 27 Romania - 14 Netherlands - 13 Belgium, CR, Greece, Hungary, Portugal - 12 Austria, Sweden, Bulgaria - 10 Denmark, Ireland, Lithuania, Slovakia, Finland - 7 Cyprus, Estonia, Latvia, Luxembourg, Slovenia - 4 Malta -3 |
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How are commissioners appointed and removed?
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Appointed - the President Elect of Commission AND the European Council and this is approved by Parliament
(appointed for 5 years) Removed - Parliament can remove entire Commission by vote of censure European Court of Justice, on application to Council and Commission, can retire a commissioner President of Commission can require a Commissioner to retire |
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How is the President of the Commission nominated and elected?
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Nominated by European Council
Elected by Parliament |
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What is the composition of the Commission?
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Commissioner for each Member State (until 2014)
After 2014 will comprise 2/3 of number of Member States unless European Council decide otherwise |
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What is the role of the Commission?
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Acts as a guardian of EU law and brings actions against Member States
Formulates policy, proposes legislation, partakes in discussions and performs executive role Manages EU budget |
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Where is the Parliament's seat?
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Strasbourg
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Where is the Parliament's secretariat?
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Luxembourg
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Where are some (few) committee meetings held?
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Brussels
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How are MEPs elected?
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Directly elected in Member States
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Under the Lisbon Treaty, what will change in relation to the election of MEPs and when?
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There will be a maximum of 750 MEPs appointed
2014 |
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Who decides the number of MEPs and seats allocated to Member States and what does this depend on?
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European Council (With Parliament's consent)
Population size and 'degressive proportionality' (no more than 96 and no less than 6 - Article 14 TEU) |
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What are Parliament's, now five, increased powers?
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1) Parliament's approval sought before approving legislation
2) Parliament exerts control over executive by approving and dismissing Commission 3) Can question Commissioner orally or in writing 4) Can reject annual budget 5) Extension of co-decision (Treaty of Lisbon) |
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What name is given to all of the courts within in the European Union?
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Court of Justice of the European Union
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What is the task of the Court of Justice?
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To ensure that the law is observed by interpreting and applying the Treaties.
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What does the Court of Justice have jurisdiction to do and under what Articles of which Treaty?
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Give PRELIMINARY RULINGS on the interpretation of EU law - Article 267 TFEU
Review legality of acts of institutions - Article 263 TFEU |
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What is the composition of the Court of Justice?
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One Judge per Member State
8 Advocate-Generals (by 'common accord') |
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Who scrutinises appointments made to the Court of Justice?
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Former Judges of the Court of Justice and Judges of national Supreme Courts
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How do Advocate-Generals assist the court?
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Hear evidence before giving a reasoned opinion
N.B - the opinions are not essential |
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Why was the General Court set up?
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To aid the Court of Justice's workload
The General Court's jurisdiction was extended to include direct actions |
