Institutional affairs

The European Union (EU) is both a political project and a legal organisation. It takes action in many areas affecting the daily lives of European citizens. Its policies are implemented in accordance with the rules and procedures set out in a series of Treaties.

Comprising 27 Member States which have, through these Treaties, ceded certain powers to the EU institutions, the EU thus has its own exclusive powers as well as others it shares with its Member States. The Member States have also retained certain powers for themselves.

A key element is the subsidiarity principle which determines when the EU is competent to legislate, and results in decisions being taken as closely as possible to citizens.

• • Managing European Commission records and archives
• • EU treaties
    • The future of Europe
    • Treaties in force
      • Treaty on European Union
      • Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union
      • Treaty on the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom)
      • Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union
      • Revision of EU treaties
    • Founding and amending treaties
      • Treaty establishing the European Coal and Steel Community, ECSC Treaty
      • Treaty of Rome (EEC)
      • Treaty of Brussels (Merger Treaty)
      • The Single European Act
      • Treaty of Maastricht on European Union
      • The Amsterdam Treaty
      • Treaty of Nice
      • The Treaty of Lisbon
      • Treaty amending certain financial provisions
    • EU accession and withdrawal
      • Article 50 negotiations with the United Kingdom
      • EU type-approval legislation with regard to the UK withdrawal
  • EU competencies
    • Division of competences within the European Union
    • Area of freedom, security and justice
    • Foreign & security policy at EU level
  • EU institutions, bodies and agencies
    • Maritime safety: European Maritime Safety Agency
    • Institutions
      • Inter-institutional cooperation
        • Cooperation between the EU's institutions
        • Cooperation between the European Parliament and the European Commission
        • The role of national Parliaments in EU affairs
      • Access to documents and data protection
        • Access to European Parliament, Council and Commission documents
        • Interinstitutional Agreement between the European Parliament and the Council concerning classified information held by the Council
        • Public access to European Central Bank documents
        • Protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data by EU institutions, bodies, offices and agencies
      • European Parliament
        • The European Parliament
        • Transparent funding of European political parties
        • Voting rights and eligibility in European Parliament elections
        • European Parliament Rules of Procedure
      • European Council
        • European Council: Rules of Procedure
      • Council of the European Union
        • The Council of the European Union
        • Rules of procedure of the Council of the European Union
        • Qualified majority voting and the ordinary legislative procedure
      • European Commission
        • The European Commission
        • Rules of procedure of the European Commission
        • The College of Commissioners
        • Mechanisms for control of the European Commission’s exercise of implementing powers
      • Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU)
        • Rules of Procedure of the Court of Justice of the European Union
        • Rules of procedure of the EU’s General Court
        • European and international courts
        • Annulment of legal acts by the Court of Justice
      • European Central Bank (ECB)
        • Public access to European Central Bank documents
        • The European Central Bank (ECB)
        • European Central Bank — rules of procedure
        • Voting arrangements in the ECB’s Governing Council
        • The European Central Bank’s role in supervising banks
        • Powers of the European Central Bank to impose sanctions
        • Minimum reserves
        • European Central Bank economic and monetary data gathering
        • Statistics on holdings of securities
        • European Central Bank – Preservation and opening to the public of historical archives
        • Single Supervisory Mechanism (SSM) – Supervisory fees
      • European Court of Auditors (ECA)
        • The European Court of Auditors (ECA)
    • Bodies
      • European External Action Service
      • The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs & Security Policy
      • European Economic and Social Committee (EESC)
      • The European Committee of the Regions
      • European Investment Bank
      • Finance for innovation and enterprise (European Investment Fund)
      • The European Ombudsman
      • Rules of procedure of the European Data Protection Supervisor
      • The EU’s advisory bodies
    • Interinstitutional entities
      • European Administrative School
      • European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO)
      • Publications Office
    • Agencies
      • Decentralised agencies
        • The EU’s Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA)
        • European Union Agency for the Operational Management of Large-Scale IT Systems in the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice (eu-LISA)
        • Civil aviation rules and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency
        • European Banking Authority (EBA)
        • European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control
        • European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop)
        • European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) – how the European Union regulates chemicals
        • The European Environment Agency (EEA) – environmental information and monitoring
        • European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) — ensuring safe food and animal feed in the EU
        • European Foundation for Living and Working Conditions
        • European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE)
        • European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA)
        • Maritime safety: European Maritime Safety Agency
        • Safe medicines for Europeans — European Medicines Agency
        • European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction
        • European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Training (CEPOL)
        • European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol)
        • The establishment of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office
        • European Union Agency for Railways — ensuring a safe and interoperable railway area
        • European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA)
        • European Training Foundation (ETF)
        • European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA)
        • Eurojust
        • Establishing the European Advisory Group for the European Labour Authority
        • Agency for the cooperation of national energy regulators
        • The EU Cybersecurity Act
        • European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT)
        • European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA)
        • European Union Agency for Asylum
      • Agencies under Common Security and Defence Policy
        • European Defence Agency
        • EU Institute for Security Studies
        • EU Satellite Centre (SATCEN)
        • European Security and Defence College
      • Euratom agencies and bodies
        • European Atomic Energy Community — information security gradings and measures
        • Revised Statutes for the Euratom Supply Agency
      • Executive Agencies
        • The EU’s executive agencies
        • EU programmes — agencies
  • EU law
    • The European Union’s primary law
    • The European Union’s secondary law
    • The non-written sources of European law: supplementary law
    • The principle of subsidiarity
    • The strengthening of European democracy
    • Interinstitutional agreements
    • Treaty on European Union — Joining the EU
    • Lobbying regulation — the EU mandatory transparency register
    • The direct effect of European Union law
    • Precedence of European law
    • Types of legal acts
      • Sources of European Union law
      • Atypical acts
      • European Union directives
      • European Union regulations
      • European Union decisions
      • European Union opinions
      • International conventions and agreements of the EU
      • International agreements: EU adoption procedures
      • International agreements and the EU’s external competences
    • How is EU law made?
      • Legislative procedures
      • Publication of the Official Journal
      • The European Citizens’ Initiative
    • Simplification of EU law
      • Better Law-Making — Agreement between EU institutions
      • The EU's agenda for better regulation
    • Transposition, implementation and enforcement
      • Enforcement of EU law
      • Infringement of EU law
      • Preliminary ruling proceedings – recommendations to national courts
      • European Union Recovery and Resilience Facility
  • European statistics
    • Eurostat - the EU’s statistics office
    • European statistics: how the European Statistical System works
    • European Statistical Advisory Committee
    • Single Market Programme
    • European Statistical Governance Advisory Board
  • Archived summaries
    • The European Commission
    • The European Council
    • The European Ombudsman
    • The European Parliament
    • The European Police College (CEPOL)
    • The European Research Council Executive Agency
    • Thematic provisions
    • White Paper on Communication
    • White Paper on governance
    • Towards a new financial framework 2007-2013
    • The gradual establishment of an area of freedom, security and justice
    • The Innovation and Networks Executive Agency
    • The judicial system of the European Union: Court of Justice and Court of First Instance
    • Trans-European Transport Network Executive Agency
    • The new Financial Regulation: easier access to EU funding
    • The operational priorities of the European Investment Bank
    • The other institutions and bodies of the Union
    • Transparency register
    • Transparency, simplification of the Treaties and quality of Community legislation
    • Treaty establishing the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom)
    • The regulations governing political parties and rules regarding their funding at European level
    • Unilateral acts
    • A budget for Europe (2014-2020)
    • Agency for cooperation between EU energy regulators
    • Action Plan for Better Regulation
    • Employment
    • Energy
    • Enhanced cooperation
    • Enhanced cooperation
    • ENISA - the European Union Agency for Network and Information Security
    • EU Consumers, Health, Agriculture and Food Executive Agency
    • EU Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
    • Environment
    • EU agency for law enforcement cooperation — Europol
    • European Commission
    • European Defence Agency
    • European Defence Agency (from 2011)
    • Euro-Mediterranean Regional Strategy and Indicative Programme 2007-2013
    • European Agency for Reconstruction
    • European Agency for the Management of External Borders — Frontex
    • European Asylum Support Office
    • European Border and Coast Guard (until December 2020)
    • European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop)
    • Decision-making procedures
    • Decision setting up Eurojust
    • Consumer protection
    • Economic and monetary policy
    • Education, Audiovisual and Cultural Executive Agency
    • Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency
    • European Transparency Initiative (ETI)
    • Europol: European Police Office (until 31.12.2009)
    • Executive Agency for Competitiveness and Innovation (EACI)
    • Executive Agency for Health and Consumers
    • Fewer administrative formalities for more growth
    • European statistical programme 2013-2020
    • National parliaments
    • Plan D for Democracy, Dialogue and Debate
    • European Research Area and European Space Policy
    • European Research Council Executive Agency (2014-24)
    • European Security and Defence College
    • European Fisheries Control Agency
    • European Foundation for Living and Working Conditions
    • European Network and Information Security Agency (ENISA)
    • European Parliament elections - EUR-Lex
    • European Parliament Rules of Procedure
    • European railway agency
    • Closer cooperation
    • Civil aviation and the European Aviation Safety Agency
    • Commission work programme 2015 - A new start
    • Common commercial policy
    • Common Foreign and Security Policy
    • Bank dividend policy – ECB recommendation
    • Better informed about Europe
    • Communicating Europe in partnership
    • Strategic review of the "Better Regulation" programme
    • Public access to documents held by the Institutions
    • Public health
    • Services of general interest
    • Subsidiarity
    • Qualified majority voting
    • Simplifying the regulatory environment
    • Rules of Procedure of the Committee of the Regions
    • Reducing administrative costs
    • Rules of Procedure of the European Data Protection Supervisor
    • Rules of procedure of the European Economic and Social Committee
    • Rules of Procedure of the European Union Civil Service Tribunal
    • Rules of Procedure of the European Union Civil Service Tribunal
    • Rules of Procedure of the General Court
    • Social policy
    • Social policy
    • The action for annulment
    • The action for damages
    • The Brussels European Council - 21 and 22 June 2007
    • Regulatory agencies
    • The citizens’ initiative
    • The Council of the European Union
    • The Court of Auditors, the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions
    • The Court of Justice
    • The Court of Justice of the European Union
    • The Council of the European Union
    • The declarations and protocols annexed to the Treaty
    • Research Executive Agency
    • Research Executive Agency (2014-20)
    • The EU's Agency for Safety and Health at Work
    • Green Paper on the European Transparency Initiative
    • GSA - Europe’s Global Navigation Satellite Systems Agency
    • Flexibility in EU decision-making: passerelle clauses, brake clauses and accelerator clauses
    • Lobbying regulation: the EU’s transparency register
    • Interinstitutional Agreement on better law-making
    • Interinstitutional Agreement on cooperation in budgetary matters
    • Fundamental rights and non-discrimination.
    • Introduction
    • Introduction