European Parliament
Directly elected; co-legislator and budget authority
- Seat
- Strasbourg, Brussels, Luxembourg
EU institutions
Article 13 of the Treaty on European Union lists seven institutions. They share the right of initiative, law-making, implementation and oversight.
The seven institutions
Article 13 TEU ↗European Council
Heads of state or government; sets overall direction
- Seat
- Brussels
Council of the European Union
National ministers; co-legislator with Parliament
- Seat
- Brussels, Luxembourg
European Commission
Proposes laws, implements policy, enforces the Treaties
- Seat
- Brussels
Court of Justice of the European Union
Interprets EU law and ensures it is applied uniformly
- Seat
- Luxembourg
European Central Bank
Monetary policy for the euro area
- Seat
- Frankfurt am Main
European Court of Auditors
Audits EU finances
- Seat
- Luxembourg
Not to be confused
Council of Europe
Founded in 1949, the Council of Europe is an international organisation for human rights, democracy and the rule of law. It created the European Convention on Human Rights and the European Court of Human Rights. It is not part of the European Union.
- European CouncilEU · heads of state or government
- Council of the EUEU · national ministers
- Council of EuropeNot EU · Strasbourg
How an EU law is made
Coming soon
Diagram of the ordinary legislative procedure
Commission proposal, readings in Parliament and Council, trilogues, adoption. With a full text equivalent.