EU bureaucracy

Powers

Legislative

Deciosion-making on legislation

Binding: co-decides with EP

Non-binding: just advice where EU has shared/exclusive competencies

Institutional triangle: EuCo proposes law, Council and EP co-decide

Executive

Single market

Works with the Commission on technical decisions (ex. regulating chemicals in food)

Foreign and security policy

Takes decisions with immediate executive implications (ex. sanctions on Russia)

Economic affairs

Sanctions members for exceeding budgetary deficit

Budgetary

Co-decides budget with EP

Mediating

Finds compromises between national govts., and between EU institutions

Structure

10 departments, each for a certain policy

Each department has 3 levels of meetings

1. The ministers

Bring together relevant ministers from members (accompanied by advisers)

2. COREPER (Committee of Permanent Representatives)

All states have a permanent representative at Brussels (like an ambassador)

2 formations: COREPER 1 and COREPER 2

COREPER 1: routine low politics

COREPER 2: high-politics

Prepares ministerial meetings

Preparation includes whether matters should be A or B-points

A-points = already discussed and agreed upon

B-points = not yet

Senior committees (from lvl 3) made lvl 2 decline in influence

Filter between lvl 3 and lvl 1

3. Committees and working groups

Aprox. 150 committees for different policies (some very specific, some broad)

Working groups examine Commission proposals (most technical work is done here)

How these levels work

1. Proposal comes from the Commission

2. Working groups and committees (lvl 3) decide on it

3. If they agree, the proposal passes/If not, it goes to COREPER (lvl 2)

4. If COREPER agrees, the proposal passes/If not it goes to the ministers (lvl 1)

5. If they agree, the proposal passes/If not, it goes back to lvl 3 (for revision)

About only 10% of proposals reach lvl 1

General Secretariat

Tasked to ensure continuity and coordination in Council proceedings (ex. monitor meetings, translate etc.) (basically, the backstage job)

Presidency

Rotates between groups of 3 member states on an 18-month basis (6-months each)

Exception: Foreign Affairs department, whose presidency is held by the High Representative

5 year term, appointed by EuCo

Mediating functions: key role in setting agendas, in setting the pace and in foreign deals

Its task is to ensure:

Continuity of the agenda

Cooperation between states and between EU bodies

Sound law-making

Decision-making procedures

Formal

Unanimity

Today, used in foreign and security policy, taxation and enlargement

Abstentions don`t impede it

QMV

Used in most policy areas

Based on a double majority

Approval of >55% of member states

Representing >65% of the EU`s population

Simple majority

Used for procedural issues

Informal

Always a preference for consensus

Helps avoid public disunity

Powers

Legislative

Initiates/Proposes new policies

Executive

Enforces EU law

Can take states to court for not complying

Can fine corporations

Represents the EU externally

In trade and enlargement negotiations

Budgetary

Proposes 7-year EU budget

Manages/Oversees its implementation

Structure

President

Functions

Lays guidelines for the College

Allocates commissioners` portfolios

Appointment

1. EuCo proposes a candidate (voted by QMV)

2. EP accepts/rejects (has never rejected)

College of Commissioners

1 commissioner/state

Appointment procedure:

1. Each state suggests 1-2 candidates

2. President appoints 1 per member and gives them portfolios (each commissioner has a different one)

3. The Council adopts the full list of commissioners

4. EP holds confirmation hearings with each candidate (and can also reject them)

5. EP votes by simple majority on the College as a whole

6. Council appoints the accepted College by QMV

Directorates general (one for each commissioner)

They can overlap though

Coordinated by the Secretariat-General

History

Created in 1974, but informal until SEA (1986)

Got more power over time and now it`s like a board of directors

Functions

History-making decisions

Negotiates EU treaties

Manages crises

Provides guidelines to others

= Doesn`t do things directly, but tells other what to do

Receives contentious matters from other institutions (mainly the Council)

These matters are too sensitive/too political for others to agree on

Forum at the highest level

Topics covered in meetings

Evolution of the EU

Sets out policy frameworks in different fields

Constitutional/Institutional affairs

Constitutional

Preparation for intergovt. meetings (IGCs), which lead to treaty reform (ex. Maastricht/Nice treaties)

Institutional (appointing)

Its own President

High Representative of the Council

President of ECB

(Nominating) Commission president

Economic/Monetary policy

Responding to crises (ex. Covid, Euro Crisis)

Enlargements

Establishing criteria for joining the EU (ex. Copenhagen criteria)

External relations

Formal role to identify the EU`s strategic interests in foreign and security policy

Overlapping role with the High Representative of the Council and the Commission president

Issue formal declarations on ongoing events

Specific internal policy issues

Sensitive matters where the EuCo has to give clearance (or even decide)

Structure

Heads of state/govt. + President of the Commission

Before the Lisbon treaty (2009), there were 2 tiers of membership; because of enlargement, they got rid of tier 2

Tier 1: Heads of state/govt. +Commission president

Tier 2: Ministers + one other commissioner

President of EuCo

Post created in 2009; 2.5 years, renewable once

Responsibilities

Chair EuCo meetings

Ensure the continuity of the work of the EuCo

Facilitate cohesion and consensus within EuCo

Ensure external representation of the EU

Powers

Legislative

Co-decides with Council in OLP (ordinary legislative procedure)

Gives non-binding opinion in consultation procedure

Can veto a legislation proposal as a whole in the consent procedure (but can`t propose amendments)

Executive

None (Glonk)

Budgetary

Co-decides the budget with the Council

Excluded from deliberations on MFFs (multiannual financial frameworks)

MFFs set out the annual ceilings of expenditure that can be spent on different policy areas

Control and supervision of the executive

Elects the Commission`s president (after proposal by EuCo) and the College of commissioners

Can dismiss the College (by motion of censure with 2/3 majority)

Special and inquiry committees (also glonk)

Annual budgetary powers (makes sure the EU doesn`t misuse it`s budget)

Written and oral questions to the Commission, the ECB and other EU agencies

Elections and electoral systems

MEPs elected every 5 years

Before 1979, they were appointed by national parliaments

EP elections are second-order polls (less important than national elections)

Few parties have pan-European elections

Politicians don`t worry about helping the EU, but about how they can win the election (ex. "I`ll go to the EP to modernise our education system!" But the EP doesn`t have that power

How many MEPs each country sends is decided by degressive proportionality

Smaller states have fewer members, but a larger state`s MEP represents more people than a smaller state`s

General election system: proportional representation

With variations: closed lists, preferential voting, single transferrable vote (STV), multiple constituencies

Each state has its own electoral thresholds and minimum age requirements for candidates

Party politics

Transnational political parties/federations

Loosely organised entities with little resources (ex. ALDE)

Political groups in the EP

Coordinate the activity of affiliated parties in EP committees and plenary

>=23 MEPs

Have EP funding

Structure

Standing committees

60-80 members each (22 of them); meet in Brussels

Plenaries

Strassburg

Semi-plenaries

Luxembourg

Rapporteurs

Selected by European party groups and elected by MEPs

The person responsible for handling legislative proposals, reports and opinions given by the EP

Leads negotiations with other institutions

Handles discussions in the responsible committee and in the plenary

President of the EP

Elected for 2.5 years, unlimited renewability

Functions

Chairs plenary sessions

Represents the EP in other EU institutions and abroad

Directs all activities of the EP

Basically, the representant of the EP when discussing with other institutions on specific laws

These groups are: EEP, S&D, RE, the Greens/EFA, the Left/NGL, PfE, ESN

Still, it has little power over the Council, and no power over EuCo

To do this, they need unanimity

That`s why in many cases they just stay silent

Spitzenkandidat system

The political group in the EP with most votes appoints the Commission`s president

Informal (that`s why it wasn`t used in 2019 and people haven`t trusted it since)

Even though they lost legislative power (co-decision with EP)

Used to be where history-making decisions were made

That role now belongs to EuCo (though they don`t mind about it, since they don`t have that burden anymore)

And approaches to EuCo presidency (meek vs. bold)

And frequency of meetings

Committees discuss the proposed legislation and in plenaries, MEPs vote for them