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The European Union (EU) is the latest iteration of the supranational European community of nations founded several years after the close of World War II.  As of July 1, 2013, the EU will consist of 28 members, when Croatia becomes the latest pledge.  

The European Coal and Steel Community, in existence as of 1952, consisted of Belgium, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Italy, and West Germany.  In 1958, following the signing of the Treaty of Rome, the Coal and Steel Community expanded its functions and became the European Economic Community, known for many years as the EEC or “Common Market.”  Following the Merger Treaty of 1967 (merging several EEC institutions), the EEC became known as the European Community, or EC.  Following the fall of the Iron Curtain and the coming into force of the Maastricht Treaty in 1993, the European Community was transformed into the European Union. 

During this long process of unification, the EU evolved from an entity designed to lower trade barriers, to a community forging economic integration, to a union pursuing both economic and political integration, and finally to a union with a high degree of currency integration as well, in the form of the common European currency, the Euro. 

The European Union consists of the following institutions:

European Council—An entity consisting of the heads of government of every EU member state, plus the European Commission President, the European Council President, and the High Representative for EU Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.  The European Council meets several times per year, and handles general policy considerations for the EU.

European Commission—The European Commission represents the interests of the EU as a whole.  It consists of a President (nominated by the European Council, supra) and 27 (soon to be 28) Commissioners, each assigned a policy area by the President of the European Commission.  The Commission drafts proposed EU legislation and oversees the implementation of EU policies and the use of EU funds. 

Council of the European Union—Nota Bene:  The Council of the European Union is sometimes referred to as the “EU Council” for short.  However, it is not to be confused with the European Council, discussed supra, or the Council of Europe, described infra.  The Council of the European Union consists of the relevant EU member country ministers (depending on the policy area being discussed), who meet to pass EU laws (in shared power with the European Parliament, infra), to coordinate EU member state economic policies, to sign EU supranational treaties with other countries, to approve the EU’s annual budget, and to handle an array of related issues. 

European Parliament—This entity consists of Members of the EU Parliament (MEPs), who are directly elected by the citizens of the EU member states.  The European Parliament debates and passes both EU legislation and the EU’s budget, having “co-decision” authority with the Council of the European Union.  In addition, the European Parliament plays an important role advising and monitoring other EU institutions.

European Court of Justice—The Court consists of one judge per EU member country.  European states or institutions can sue in the ECJ.  Moreover, individuals, corporations, or associations may litigate before the ECJ if they allege that their rights have been violated by an EU institution.  In addition, part of the ECJ serves as a civil service tribunal for EU employees.

European Court of Auditors—This Court audits the EU's finances and financial management. 

Nota Bene:  The Council of the European Union is not to be confused with the Council of Europe.  The Council of Europe is a supranational organization founded in 1949, and dedicated to peace, the rule of law, human rights, and the rights of religious and racial minorities, as a response to the barbarism of World War II.  The Council of Europe’s major enforcement vehicle is the European Court of Human Rights (which likewise is not an EU institution). 

Jason Emmanuel authored this Research Guide as part of the requirements for the fall 2012 Foreign, Comparative, and International Law Advanced Legal Research course.  Mr. Emmanuel graduated from the University of Iowa College of Law in May 2014.

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