The EU’s advisory bodies

SUMMARY

KEY POINTS

The EU has 7 institutions responsible for different areas of lawmaking and policymaking.

In addition it has 2 advisory bodies representing different parts of EU society which give opinions on policies and legislation but which are not legally binding.

• 1.

  The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC)

Role

The EESC has 3 main responsibilities:

• to advise the European Parliament, the Council of the EU and the European Commission,
• to promote the development of an EU that is more in touch with EU citizens’ opinions by giving workers’ and employers’ organisations and other interest groups a voice in policy discussions,
• to ensure a continuous dialogue between the EU and civil society organisations and to support their role and the role of broader participation in democracy.

Composition

• The EESC is composed of 350 members. The distribution of seats per EU country is decided by the Council.
• Members represent workers’ and employers’ organisations, as well as interest groups from civil society, particularly in socio-economic, civic, professional, and cultural areas.
• Members are nominated by their national governments and appointed by the Council for a 5-year renewable term.

Action

• The EESC has 9 plenary sessions per year.
• The EESC is consulted by the European Parliament, the Council or the Commission on a variety of subjects.
• It also issues opinions on its own initiative.

• 2.

  The Committee of the Regions (CoR)

Role

The CoR gives regions and cities a formal say in the EU decision-making process, and reflects the positions and needs of regional and local authorities in the opinions it submits to the EU institutions.

Composition

• The CoR is composed of 350 members. The distribution of seats per EU country is decided by the Council.
• Members are elected representatives of local and regional authorities.
• . Members are nominated by their national governments. and appointed by the Council for a 5-year renewable term.

Action

The CoR has 6 plenary sessions per year.

The CoR is consulted on a compulsory basis by the Commission, the Council or the European Parliament on legislative proposals which concern policy areas such as:

• health,
• education,
• employment,
• social policy,
• transport,
• energy.

The CoR may also be consulted by the European Parliament, the Council or the Commission on other issues outside these areas. It may also issue opinions on its own initiative.

Once the CoR receives a proposal for legislation it issues an opinion which is sent to the relevant institutions.

The CoR may bring 2 types of action before the Court of Justice of the EU:

• an action to annul a legal act which breaches the principle of subsidiarity, where the legal act concerns a policy area on which the CoR must be consulted (Article 8 of Protocol 2 of the Treaty on European Union) —;
• an action to ensure that the EU institutions respect its right to be consulted. (Article 263 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU).

last update 20.01.2016