INDRODUCTION OF EUROPEAN UNION

The European Union (EU) is an economic and political union of 27 member states which are located primarily in Europe. Its capital is de factoBrussels. The EU operates through a system of supranational independent institutions and intergovernmental negotiated decisions by the member states. Important institutions of the EU include the European Commission, the Council of the European Union, theEuropean Council, the Court of Justice of the European Union, and the European Central Bank. The European Parliament is elected every five years by EU citizens.The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) and theEuropean Economic Community (EEC), formed by the Inner Six countries in 1951 and 1958 respectively. In the intervening years the community and its successors have grown in size by the accession of new member states and in power by the addition of policy areas to its remit. The Maastricht Treaty established the European Union under its current name in 1993. The latest amendment to the constitutional basis of the EU, the Treaty of Lisbon, came into force in 2009.The EU has developed a single market through a standardised system of laws which apply in all member states. Within the Schengen Area (which includes 22 EU and 4 non-EU states) passport controls have been abolished. EU policies aim to ensure the free movement of people, goods, services, and capital, enact legislation in justice and home affairs, and maintain common policies on trade, agriculture, fisheries and regional development. A monetary union, the eurozone, was established in 1999 and is composed of 17 member states. Through the Common Foreign and Security Policy the EU has developed a role in external relations and defence. Permanent diplomatic missionshave been established around the world. The EU is represented at the United Nations, the WTO, the G8and the G-20.Witha combined population of over 500 million inhabitants, or 7.3% of the world population, the EU, in 2011, generated the largest nominal world gross domestic product (GDP) of 17.6 trillion US dollars, representing approximately 20% of the global GDP when measured in terms of purchasing power parity. The EU was the recipient of the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize.

HISTORY OF EUROPION HISTORY

In 1951, six countries (Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands)decided to go down the path of economic cooperation by setting up the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), the first instance of European integration. In 1957, the six founding Member States went even further, signing the Treaty of Rome that established the European Economic Community (EEC) and the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom). As cooperation between the Member States became ever tighter and the list of countries wishing to join the EU grew ever longer, several treaties adapting the Treaty of Rome were signed.

The European Union has enlarged in successive phases from 6 to 28 Member States and is destined to grow further, with the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), Turkey, Montenegro, Serbia and Albania already lined up as would-be members. Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo are potential candidates.

Over half a century after its establishment, the European Union is adapting to its successive phases of enlargement by inventing a new way of formulating policy, in a bid to make its workings simpler and clearer. The Lisbon Treaty sets out the course for EU integration in the 21st century in line with the concerns of its citizens and people around the world.

In 2012, the Nobel Peace Price 2012 has been awarded to the European Union. The EU received the Nobel Peace Price for advancing the causes of peace, reconciliation, democracy and human rights in Europe.

MEMBERS OF COUNTRY

CountryAccession dateAustriaJanuary 1, 1995BelgiumMarch25, 1957Bulgaria January 1, 2007CroatiaJuly 1, 2013CyprusMay 1, 2004Czech RepublicMay 1, 2004DenmarkJanuary 1, 1973Estonia May 1, 2004FinlandJanuary 1, 1995FranceMarch 25, 1957GermanyMarch 25, 1957Greece January 1, 1981HungaryMay 1, 2004LatviaMay 1, 2004LithuaniaMay 1, 2004LuxembourgMarch 25, 1957MaltaMay 1, 2004NetherlandsMarch 25, 1957PolandMay 1, 2004PortugalJanuary 1, 1986RomaniaJanuary 1, 2007SlovakiaMay 1, 2004SloveniaMay 1, 2004SpainJanuary 1, 1986SwedenJanuary 1, 1995United KingdomJanuary 1, 1973

THE FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES

As regards relations between the Union and the Member States, the Convention has brought together the pertinent provisions of the existing Treaties in Article I-5, in particular the obligation to respect the national identities and the fundamental political and constitutional structures of the Member States. The principle of loyal cooperation is also included in this Article.Article I-6 confers on the European Union legal personality, something that was still unimaginable at the Nice Intergovernmental Conference in 2000. The merging together of the European Community and the European Union will therefore give the new Union the right to conclude international agreements, in the same way as the European Community can do today, yet without compromising the division of competences between the Union and the Member States.Title III, spanning Articles I-9 to I-17, lays down theUnion competences. It should be noted that the principle of the primacy of Union law over the law of the Member States, a principle established by the Court of Justice, has been formally integrated into Article I-10.Article I-4 of the draft Constitution guarantees the free movement of persons, goods, services and capital within the Union and strictly prohibits any discrimination on grounds of nationality.

THE OBJECTIVES OF THE UNION(1) To establish the foundation of an ever closer union among the Eropean people(2) To Establish a common agricultural policy and a commitment to free and faircompetition(3) To promot human rights both internally and round the world. Human dignity,freedom democracy the role of law and respect for human rights are the core value of the EU.

(4) Article I-3 of the draftConstitution, which covers the internal and external objectives of the Union, merges the provisions of the Treaty on European Union (EU Treaty) and those of the Treaty establishing the European Community (EC Treaty). These objectives must guide the Unionin the defining and implementation of all its policies.(5) The main objectives of the Union are now to promote peace, the Union's values and the well-being of its peoples.(6) To the objectives already set out in the existing Treaties, the draft Constitution adds the promotion of scientific and technological advance, of solidarity between generations and of the protection of children's rights. Economic and social cohesion now additionally acquiresa territorial dimension. Cultural and linguistic diversity, and the safeguarding and enhancing of Europe's cultural heritage, also become Union objectives.(7) This Article also introduces as an objective that the Union shall offer its citizens a single market where competition is free and undistorted, and anarea of freedom, security and justicewithout internal frontiers. Article I-4, also devoted to the single market, guarantees the free movement of persons, goods, services and capital and freedom of establishment within the Union.(8) Paragraph 4 of Article I-3 is devoted to the Union's promotion of its values and interests in its relations with the rest of the world. This paragraph brings together the objectives from the EU Treaty relating to acommon foreign and security policy, and the provisions of the EC Treaty relating to development cooperation. The Convention suggests including here as a new objective the protection of children'srightson the international stage.(9) Finally, in Part III of the draft Constitution, Articles III-1 to III-6 contain provisions relating to more specific requirements which the Union must take into account in implementing the Constitution, in particular, equality between men and women, protection of the environment, promotion of sustainable development, consumer protection and the specific nature of services of general economic interest. The Convention proposes adding as another objective, in Article III-3, the combating of discrimination based on sex, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation, reproducing the wording of Article 13 of the EC Treaty.

THE ADVANTAGES

1.Low prices of goods there exists a Single Market for all member countries wherein products are low-priced and there are no charges when it comes to custom tax; custom tax is usually charged when goods are transported or sold between states/countries but this is not applied among member countries
2.Citizens are free to move from one member country to another citizens can freely travel, study, work, or live in any European country of their choice
3.More jobs are generated more or less than 3.5 million jobs have been generated over the years
4.Development of deprived regions some member countries of the EU are economically deprived and through the European Structural Funds, deprived regions are developed
5.Louder voice the EU is able to ensure that all their concerns are taken seriously and heard internationally since it speaks in behalf of millions of people
6.Workers are protected this is made possible through the European Working Time Directive; the directive includes regulations regarding holidays, working hours, breaks, etc.
7.One of the biggest benefits that are offered to the member countries of the EU is that they are free to trade with other members at no additional taxation. This helps tokeep prices of goods and food down in these countries.8.Movement between all of the countries in the EU is completely free and open for all citizens. This opens up many more job and education opportunities for people. Especially ones who are in poor countries.9.The EU has never had an official language and doesnt interfere with the cultural aspects of any country. This helps to ensure that, while you are part of the union, you are also your own country.10.All of the member countries of the EU have the same type of currency, the euro. This makes doing business, traveling or moving to other countries, and buying things much simpler. It also creates a sense of unity among the countries11.There are strict guidelines followed for any issues that occur within the EU. This prevents any of thesecountries from getting into large political or economical problems with one another and promotes peace throughout the continent.

THE DISADVANTAGES

1.It is costly to be a member of the EU different sources claim that the cost per head ranges from 300 to 873
2.Not all policies are efficient a good example is that of the Common Agricultural Policy which resulted to oversupply and higher prices of goods
3.The single currency poses a great problem not all member countries are using the Euro though the EU emphasized its use; still, many problems have risen over the years
4.Overcrowding it was mentioned earlier that the citizens of member countries are free to move from one place to another; this has led to overcrowding in the major cities of UK and it has increased prices of houses, as well ascongestion on the roads5 .It becomes very difficult for the EU to communicate with all of its citizens because they all speak different language. This also impact the feeling of unity among its members. It makes it harder to bring people together.6.Large and wealthy countries that are members of the European Union, like Germany, have to share their wealth with much smaller and poorer countries. This prevents any one country from becoming too powerful, which is a bad thing for countries that have the ability to become world leaders.7.Once a country decides to join the EU, it is extremely difficult for them to leave it. This makes many people uneasy from joining, because if it negatively effects their country, there is little that they can do about it.8.In order to join the European Union, you must be a part of Europe. Europes borders are largely undefined, which gives the EU the power to pick and choose who they would like to join the union9.The European Union has power over the government in these countries. This means that if they do not like a political leader, they can simply kick them out of office. It is very simple for this to breach the lines of corruption and cause major problems in government sectors.10.The policies, decisions, and rules set in place by the European Union are not there to protect the best interest of each individual country. Instead, their goal is to advance the EU as a whole. This has caused many damages in smaller countries, that are often left unheard.

IMPORTANT POLICIES OF THE EUROPEAN UNION

In order to implements its aims and objectives the Eu has developed a number of specific policies. Some of the important policies of the EU are disussed below :

The EU aims at exchange rate stability in Erope by limiting the fluctuation ofparticipating currencies within a certain range.

It was originally inaugurated on January 1,1993 Creation of single or common market required not only theremoval of customs and administrative barriers, but also measures to harmonise product and services standards and to facilitate the free movment of people and capital. Single market seeks to guaranteefreedoms i.e., free movment of goods, capital, people and services within the area.

This module explores EU policy-making processes. In the first part, it develops a broad-ranging understanding of the nature of EU policy processes through discussions of the main perspectives and by touching upon a series of general issue areas. It seeks to understand the internal dynamics of EU policy-making by considering the respective importance of the EUs institutions, national governments and various non-state actors. It also tries to understand the nature of the policy-making regime in the EU. The emphasis is on contending theories and explanations of EU policy processes. In the second part, it turns to the application of these theories and approaches to a series of specific sectoral case studies.

Do 'barmy Brussels bureaucrats' dictate all our laws? Does the role of the European Parliament legitimise EU policy-making? Is the EU moving towards becoming a 'Europe of the Regions'? Is public opinion important in EU policy-making? What has the economic crisis exposed regarding the EMU governance framework? To what extent can we talk of a 'European' social policy? What should be the relationship between the EU's security and defence policy and NATO?

The module develops an understanding of EU policy processes. In doing so, it exploresthe main theoretical approaches associated with EU decision-making dynamics andpolicy processes, and examines the relative importance of the actors involved in EU policy-making. It also offers an in-depth understanding of a series of EU policy areas andanalyses the relevance of theoretical approaches to the realities of EU policy-making.

Students should be able to describe the workings of EU policy processes, critically discuss thekey characteristics of EU policy processes, and assess the relative merit of the main actors involved in the dynamics of EU policy-making. Students should also, by the end of the course, have developed their presentation skills, research skills, and theirability to work independently and as part of a group.

Case studies will highlight key issues facing the contemporary EU, including the Lisbon Treaty, Economic and Monetary Union, enlargement, immigration and asylum policies, and the development of a foreign, security and defence policy. Analysis of these issues will enable you to appreciate the complex nature of EU governance and the challenges facing the EU within the existing global environment.

Understand the history of the EU, the structure of the EU and the key policies of the EUDescribe the influence of the EU on countries, national legislation and business

Understand and describe the most important problems the EU and the EU countries are currently facing

Express a well-formed opinion about the future development of the EUThe minor is part of the International Business and Management Studies programme at the Avans School of International Studies in Breda.

The Paris Summit meeting of heads of state and government of theEuropean Economic Community(EEC) in October 1972 is often used to pin point the beginning of the EU's environmental policy.[2]A declaration on environmental and consumer policy was adopted at this summit which requested the European Commission to draw up an action programme for environmental protection. This (first) Environmental Action Programme was adopted in July 1973 and represented the EUs first environmentalpolicy.Furthermore, the task force within the Commission that drew up this action programme eventually led to the formation of a Directorate General for the Environment.

The primary reason at that time for the introduction of a common environmental policy was the concern that diverse environmental standards could resultin trade barriers and competitive distortions in the Common Market.[4]Different national standards for particular products, such as limitations on vehicle emissions for the lead content of petrol, posed significant barriers to the free trade of these products within the Economic Community (EC). An additional motivation driving the EUs emerging environmental policy was the increasing international politicisation of environmental problems and the growing realisation from the beginning of the 1970s that environmental pollution did not stop at national borders, but had to be addressed by cross-border measures.[5]At that time there was no mention of environmental policy in the founding treaties of the EU and therefore no explicit Treaty basis which underpinned EU environmental policy. However, the Treaty text was interpreted dynamically enabling environmental policy to be regarded as an essential goal of the Community, even though it was not explicitly mentioned. It was not until the middle of the 1980s and the signing of the Single European Act in 1986 that economic and ecological objectives were put on a more equal footing within the Community.

Policy processes[edit]Policy making in the EU can be extremely complex. It has been suggested that the policy making process is too densely populated with veto players (i.e. actors whose agreement is necessary for a policy to be adopted) for any single actor or group of actors (including the EUs member states) to consistently control the direction of policy making.[15]The result in environmental policy making has been widely depicted as being especially unpredictable, unstable and at times even chaotic. However, the European Commission, as a key player in the policy making process, has under pressure to develop standard operating procedures for processing policy.[16]This has led to a number of changes in policy making processes in recent years, including: adopting minimum standards of consultation; the impact assessment of all major policy proposals; and the earlier publication of its work programmes.[17]

The focus of EU environmental policy making has also changed in recent years concentrating more on updating existing policies than on building-up the EUs role in environmental policy.[18]In the 1970s and 1980sEU environmental policy was markedby the rapid build-up of a body of legislation that covered a range of issues previously not dealt with at EU level. Since the 1980s, other new issues have been taken up but in addition an increasing proportion of the environmental agenda has been taken up by debates on the revision of existing legislation. As a result, the proportion of EU environmental legislation that amends previous laws has steadily increased over time. Consequently, for most environmental issues, thekey question is no longer: should the EU be involved? but what should the EU be doing? And the logic for getting the issue on the EU political agenda is no longer to make the EU take it up but to change existing policies (strengthening or weakening them, depending on a political actors objectives). This change in both the stakes of and the key struggle in agenda setting strategies, marks a shift from new issues to ongoing or recurring concerns.[18]

In its policy making processes the EU has made asizeable effort to undertake a particular type of policy coordination, namely the integration of environmental considerations into the operation of all policy sectors. The potential of environmental policy integration is undoubtedly ambitious: economicallypowerful sectors such as agriculture, energy and transport should design out environmental problems in the development of their own policies.[19]However, it has proven much harder to implement than many had originally expected, not least those workingin the European Commissions environment directorate-general. A significant causal factor here has been the EUs fragmented institutional and political structure, which on the one hand has facilitated the adoption of visionary policy objectives, but has also undermined their implementation.[20]

Implementation is very much at the sharp end of the EU policy process. The success of EU policies and with them the whole integration project are often judged by the impacts they have on the ground. If,however, the acquis (the body of EU law) is not fully implemented, EU policies risk becoming paper exercises with little tangible effect on environmental quality but serious distorting impacts on the Single Market.[21]The implementation of policy in the EU is widely regarded as being problematic.[22]Yet, both public and academic understanding of this crucial stage of the EU policy process remains relatively limited. Indeed for a long time, a number of factors kept the whole issue of poor implementation down or off the political agenda, but today it is much more politicised, pushed along by the campaigning activities of NGOs and pro-integration actors such as the European Parliament. A whole host of solutions to the EUs implementation problems have been offered, some of which could, if deployed, evencompound the problem. But in many respects, the causes of poor (or at least imperfect) implementation reside in the very structure of the EU. Consequently, there are likely to be no panaceas.

To develop new environmental policies, it is important first to evaluate those that have already been adopted. However, this intuitively simple idea is difficult to apply in practice, no more so than in the EU where the complex system of multi-level governance adds considerably to the practical difficulty of evaluating policies.[23]Assessing impacts and finding side-effects of policies is best achieved by a plurality of data, methods, analysts and theories, as well as evaluation criteria. In recent years the demand for evaluations of EU policies and programmes has increased as the importance of evaluation has become more widely recognised. Many actors have become involved in commissioning, producing and using evaluations (including the European Environment Agency), but the role of evaluation is often still quite weak.

Synergic to the environmental policy in Europe is theEuropean environmental research and innovation policy. It aims at defining and implementing a transformative agenda to greening the economy and the society as a whole so to achieve a truly sustainable development.

The Benefits and Achievements of EU Single MarketThe Single Market has been the source of sizable benefits for the EU economy as a whole. Over the period 1992-2006, of the part of the gains of the Single Market that can be measured, it has been estimated that:EU Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2006 was 2.2% higher than it would have been without the Single Market an average increase in benefits to consumers of 518 per person.

An additional 2.75 million jobs across Europe.

Other gains have been realised through the establishment of the Single Market. Increased levels of competition have benefitted both businesses and consumers alike; increased levels of innovation have led to higher productivity, lower costs and prices and a greater choice for consumers with a wider diversity of higher quality products now available. These benefits cannot be quantitatively assessed but are likely to represent the biggest part of the gains arising from the Single Market.

It is not just at the national level though where evidence can be seen of the Single Market making a real difference. Businesses, consumers and employees alike have all benefited from the creation of the Single Market.

BusinessesThe Single Market hasa population of almost 500 million, allowing larger businesses to benefit from economies of scale. Easier cross-border trade within the EU means that small- and medium-sized enterprises now have access to new export markets, which previously were not an option because of the cost and hassle that was involved with border bureaucracy.

One of the main aims of the Single Market has been to create an environment in which businesses can flourish. It has become easier to start or buy a business with the average cost for setting up a new company in the former EU-15 has fallen from 813 in 2002 to 554 in 2007, and the time needed to cope with the administrative procedures to register a company was reduced from 24 days in 2002 to about 12 days in 2007.

Among the numerous examples of cooperation leading to a reduction of costs for businesses is the setting up of both the Community Trade Mark and the Community Design. These have enabled UK companies to protect their trade marks and designs throughout the EU by making asingle application for EU-wide registration. This cuts down bureaucracy - avoiding the need for trade marks or designs to be examined in 25 different jurisdictions each with its own rules. In 2007, UK firms made 9,228 such trade mark applications. Registration of designs at the Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market was introduced on 1 April 2003 and by the end of the 2007 UK firms had also applied to register around 22,000 designs.

ConsumersThe free movement of goods and services means that consumers now have a much wider choice of high quality products to choose from. Three out of four European citizens think that the possibility to market products from other Member States under the same conditions as domestic products has had a positive impactwhile 73% consider that the single market has contributed positively to the range of products and services on offer. The opening up of national markets has resulted in lower prices for goods and services inmany cases. Telephone prices charged by the former monopolies for national and international calls have been reduced my more than 40% on average between 2000 and 2006.

Consumers now enjoy far greater protection thanks to the Single Market. As a result of membership, British consumers are guaranteed rights similar to their UK statutory rights when buying products elsewhere in the EU, including products bought from other EU countries over the internet. Greater consumer confidence throughout the EU has, in turn, helped build market confidence, providing a positive environment in which business can flourish. Over half of citizens consider that internal market rules have increased consumer protection within the EU.

Consumers are also better informed about the products they buy and those products are safer, forinstance. The CE marking guarantees that products meet certain minimum standards, regardless of where they were produced. In addition, Single Market laws require that degradable products, such as food and medicines are labelled with best before dates andthat they carry a list of ingredients, colourings and additives.

The EU is also actively engaged in ensuring that the opportunities of the internal market are not undermined by rogue traders operating across borders. Enforcement agencies have agreed to act where ever possible - in the name of all EU consumers, not just those in their own Member State, and European Consumer Centres, based in Citizen's Advice Bureaux, can offer everyone advice about shopping in Europe and give access to alternative disputeresolution schemes, such as ombudsmen and arbitration, in other EU countries, if things go wrong.

There are many examples where the European Commission has worked to eliminate anti-competitive practices, an area where the UK on its own would not have beenable to make the same impact. One such example was when in February 2008 the European Commission fined Microsoft 899 million for failing to comply with sanctions imposed on it for anti-competitive behaviour. An investigation in 2004 had concluded that Microsoft was guilty of freezing out its rivals in products like media players while at the same time linking its internet browser to its Windows operating system.

EmployeesThe Single Market means that individuals have a right to live, work or study in another EU country. According to the European Commission, more than 15 million EU citizens have moved to other EU countries to work or to enjoy their retirement, benefiting from the transferability of social benefit, while 1.5 million young people have completed part of their studies in another Member State with the help of the Erasmus programme. The possibility to study abroad is considered positive by 84% of EU citizens.Employees rights have been greatly strengthened because of EU regulations.

Workers (apart from those in a small number of specific industries) cannot be asked to work more than 48 hours per week, unless they wish to. They are entitled to a rest break of at least 11 hours each day and a further break if the working day is longer than six hours. In addition, they are entitled to one day off per week and annual paid holiday of at least four weeks each year.

Part-time workers and those on fixed term contracts are entitled to the same benefits pro-rata as those on permanent contracts including thesame rates of pay, the same access to sickness benefit and the same access to company pension schemes, unless differences in treatment are objectively justified.

Employees with parental responsibilities have a right to a minimum thirteen weeks leave to enable them to take care of a child up to the age of five years, or eighteen weeks leave in cases of a disabled child under the age of 18.

This convergence of rules in the EU provides fair conditions of competition for all across Europe.

The EUinstitutions and the decision-making processThe member state delegates sovereighty for certain mafters to independent institution which reperesent interests of the union as a whole its member countreis and its citizens. The important instituion are:

Councile of the Eurpean Union

European Parlament

European Commision

Court of Justice

European Central Bank

Councile of the Eurpean Union

The Council of the European Union, also known as the Council of Ministers, defends the interests of the Member States. The Council Presidency rotates between the Member States every six months. The Council shares with the European Parliament the responsibility for passing EU laws. The Council and European Parliament also share the authority for approving the EUs annual budget and the multi-annual financial programming. The Council consists of ministers from the Member States national governments. Council meetings are attended by the ministers responsible for the items on the agenda. There are 10 sectoral Councils: General Affairs, Foreign Affairs, Economic and Financial Affairs, Justice and Home Affairs, Transport, Telecommunications and Energy, Agriculture and Fisheries, Environment, Education, Youth, Culture and Sport,Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs and Competitiveness. The Council takes decisions by a vote of Member State Ministers. Each Member State has a number of votes roughly reflecting the size of its population but weighted in favor ofsmaller countries. There are three types of votes depending on the Treaty provisions: simple majority, qualified majority and unanimity. Most decisions are subject to the qualified majorityU.S. Mission to the European Union Foreign Agricultural Service WHO ARE THE KEY PLAYERS IN EU DECISION-MAKING? EUROPEAN COMMISSION COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT EUROPEAN COMMISSION The European Commission is the guardian of the Treaties and the EUs executive organ. The Commission drafts proposals for new EU laws and presents them to the Council and European Parliament. It manages the day-to-day business of implementing commonpolicies such as the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and the administration of the EU budget. The Commission also ensures that Member States act in accordance with the provisions of the Treaties and EU laws. The Commission is composed of 27 Commissioners, one from each Member State, and is appointed for a period of five years. The Commission is divided into several Directorates-General (DGs) and services. Agricultural, food safety, trade and environmental issues are dealt with by DG Agriculture and Rural Development (AGRI), DG Health and Consumers (SANCO), DG Trade (TRADE) and DG Environment (ENV).

is theEU's main decision-making body. It represents the Member States, and therefore, is composed of one representative of each EU national government. Each Minister is empowered to commit their Government during meetings and is politically accountable to theirown national Parliament and to the citizens that Parliament represents. The acts of the Council can take the form of regulations, directives, decision, common actions or common positions, recommendations, conclusions or opinions. When acting as a legislator, it is in principle the European Commission that makes proposals that are examined by the Council, which can modify them before adopting. Council meetings are limited to specific subject areas, like health and attended by the relevant Ministers from each Member State.[1]

The European Parliament[2]is the European body that directly represents the people of the Member States. It expresses the democratic willof the Unions citizens and represents their interests in discussions with other EU institutions. It consists of around 730 members, with each country having formally agreed number of deputies based on the size of its population. The European Parliament hasthree fundamental powers: legislative power, budgetary power and supervisory power in accordance with the Treaty.The European Commission

[3]is designed to be a politically independent institution that represents and uphold the interests of the EU as a whole. The Commissioners are appointed for a five-year period. The Commission is the driving force within the EU's institutional system and has the role of monitoring the respect of the EU Treaties. The Commission has the right to make proposals to the Council and Parliament.

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENTThe European Parliament is directly elected every 5 years by EU citizens to represent their interests. Each Member State holds a number of seats roughly proportional to the size of its population. There are currently 754 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs). MEPs do notsit in national blocks but in EU-wide political groups. The European Parliament shares with the Council the responsibility to pass EU laws on the basis of proposals presented by the Commission. The European Parliament and Council also share the authority for approving the EUs annual budget and the multi-annual financial programming. Most of the legislative work is done by specialized committees such as the Agriculture and Rural Development Committee - that prepare reports that will later be voted on in plenary. The complete list of parliamentary committees can be consulted at http://www.europarl.europa.eu/committees/en/parliamentarycommittees.html. The main meetings of the European Parliament known as plenary sessions are held in Strasbourg (France); other meetings, such as the Committee meetings, are held in Brussels (Belgium). The European Parliament uses two voting systems: simple majority which means the majority of MEPs voting and absolute majority which means the majority of its component members (currently 378 votes out of 754).

It is the Council and Parliament that pass European laws. Before this stage it is the European Commission that proposes new legislation and defines the legal basis for the proposal in the EU treaties. The legal basis chosen determines the method of decision-making to be followed. The rules and procedures for EU decision-making are laid down in the treaties. Every proposal for a new European law is based on a specific treaty article, referred to as the legal basis' of the proposal. This determines which legislative procedure must be followed. The three main procedures are

consultation the Council consults the Parliament as well as the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) and the Committeeof the Regions (CoR). The Parliament can accept or reject a proposal presented by the Commission. It may also suggest amendments, which the Commission will consider introducing. The Council however is not obliged to accept the amendments and its decision is final.

2) Assent means that the Council has to obtain the Parliament's assent before certain very important decision is taken. The Parliament can accept or reject a proposalpresented by the Commission. However, it cannot amend a proposal. Acceptancerequires absolute majority of the vote cast. This procedure is the least used, but is applied to certain very delicate and important areas.

3) Co-decision this is the most common procedure for adopting EU legislation and requires official approval ofboth the European Parliament and the Council. Both bodies are on an equal footing and have the chance to propose amendments to the text.

European CommisionThe European Commission is the guardian of the Treaties and the EUsexecutive organ. The Commission drafts proposals for new EU laws and presents them to the Council and European Parliament. It manages the day-to-day business of implementing common policies such as the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and the administration of the EU budget. The Commission also ensures that Member States act in accordance with the provisions of the Treaties and EU laws. The Commission is composed of 27 Commissioners, one from each Member State, and is appointed for a period of five years.The Commission is divided into several Directorates-General (DGs) and services. Agricultural, food safety, trade and environmental issues are dealt with by DG Agriculture and Rural Development (AGRI), DG Health and Consumers (SANCO), DG Trade (TRADE) andDG Environment (ENV). The complete list of the Commissions DGs and services can be consultedCourt of Justiceaddition the European Court of Justice has been a major catalyst for activity in the European Commission and deserves a mention. Ithas taken some brave judgments and conviction in the face of vested interests and States has firmly anchored health care into the Internal Market.

The EU's decision-making system has evolved over half a century. But it was originally designed for a community of six nations. The system therefore needs simplifying. Questions regarding who should be responsible for doing what and how democratic decisions should be made in a Union of 27 or more countries. The Constitution for EuropeAs in any other policy area, European public health policies are developed in a sharing of responsibilities between the Council, The European Parliament and the Commission. This division of responsibilities and influence can be described as follows:`