Question

Describe nuanced and thoroughly for what tasks the Council of Ministers, the Commission and the European Parliament have and how decisions are made in these three institutions.

In order to write nuanced answers, it is necessary to answer from different perspectives. To do objective reasoning showing things from different directions. En konsekvens kan være positiv for en fest, men negativ for noen andre. Of positief in een kort-termijn perspectief maar negatief in de lange run. It usually depends only on how to look at the matter. Din task is to showcase these different perspectives. Show that you have a deeper understanding of the subject's complexity. That reality is not black and white, but it's a gray area.

Answer 1

What does the Parliament do?

The Parliament has 3 main role-

Legislative

• Passing EU laws, together with the Council of the EU, based on European Commission proposals
• Deciding on international agreements
• Deciding on enlargements
• Reviewing the Commission's work programme and asking it to propose legislation

Supervisory

• Democratic scrutiny of all EU institutions
• Electing the Commission President and approving the Commission as a body. Possibility of voting a motion of censure, obliging the Commission to resign
• Granting discharge, i.e. approving the way EU budgets have been spent
• Examining citizens' petitions and setting up inquiries
• Discussing monetary policy with the European Central Bank
• Questioning Commission and Council
• Election observations

Budgetary

• Establishing the EU budget, together with the Council
• Approving the EU's long-term budget, the "Multiannual Financial Framework"

  What does the Council do?

• Negotiates and adopts EU laws, together with the European Parliament, based on proposals from the European Commission
• Coordinates EU countries' policies
• Develops the EU's foreign & security policy, based on European Council guidelines
• Concludes agreements between the EU and other countries or international organisations
• Adopts the annual EU budget - jointly with the European Parliament.

  How does the Council work?

• All discussions & votes take place in public.
• To be passed, decisions usually require a qualified majority :
  • 55% of countries (with 28 current members, this means 16 countries)
  • representing at least 65 % of total EU population.

• To block a decision, at least 4 countries are needed (representing at least 35% of total EU population)

• Exception - sensitive topics like foreign policy and taxation require a unanimous vote (all countries in favour).
• Simple majority is required for procedural & administrative issues

• There are 3 institutions responsible for making policy and taking decisions:

• European Parliament
• Council of the European Union
• European Commission.

• European Parliament

  The European Parliament was set up to represent EU citizens directly. Its powers have been extended through successive changes to the EU's basic treaties. It was first directly elected by EU citizens in 1979. The current Parliament was elected for 5 years in May 2014 and has 751 MEPs from all 28 countries.

  Parliament’s principal function is to adopt, jointly with the Council, draft legislation put forward by the Commission. Another function is control and approval of the EU budget. Parliament also exercises democratic supervision of the Commission, which includes the power to dismiss the Commissioners en bloc, through a vote of censure.

  European Council

  Heads of state or government from EU member countries meet at least 4 times a year in the form of the European Council. The Council President can convene additional meetings as and when required. Meetings are intended to provide impetus and define political priorities. Decisions are usually taken by consensus.

  The Council – essentially a summit meeting – acquired the status of an EU institution, together with an elected president, under the Lisbon Treaty.