The European Union and the significance of policy

The EU is made up of 27 countries (member states) and structured into seven different institutions, some of which are quite cryptically named:

• The European Parliament – has 705 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) who belong to one of the seven political groups and at least one of the 20 different committees. The European Parliament oversees the EU budget and shares legislative powers with the Council of the EU.
• The Council of the EU – – also referred to as the Council of Ministers or just Council shares legislative powers with the European Parliament. Meetings are divided into 10 specific council configurations with 27 ministers (one from every member state) in each. Each council configuration deals with a different legislative area, e.g. General Affairs, Agriculture & Fishers, and Environment, etc.
• The European Council – comprises the heads of government from each of the 27 member states, and provides general objectives, and priorities for the EU to focus on.
• The European Commission (EC) – proposes and drafts new legislation which is monitored and edited by the European Parliament. It administers the EU budget and ensures compliance with EU law. The Commission is made up of many departments (called Directorate-Generals), services, agencies and bodies, which research and develop policies surrounding the European Commission’s priority areas.
• The Court of Justice of the EU – implements EU law and determines legal disputes between member states, EU institutions and other bodies.
• European Court of Auditors – audits the EU’s budget in terms of revenue and spending
• The European Central Bank – is the central bank of the 19 EU countries that have adopted the euro. It aims to maintain price stability in the euro area and preserve the euro’s purchasing power

The diagram below gives a good overview of how people are assigned or elected to work in the individual institutions.

As shown in the EGU’s Policy Cycle, science can be used during every phase in the policymaking process and at every governance level. However, understanding how and when to engage with policymaking can be a challenge! The EGU has several resources and initiatives to support our members connect with policymaking institutions and individuals that are relevant to their research.