The European Union has created seven main institutions:
European Parliament
- Legislative (lower house) -
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European Council
- Sets impetus and direction -
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Council of the European Union
- Legislative (upper house) -
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European Commission
- Executive -
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- acts together with the Council as a legislator
- shares with the Council the budgetary power and decides in the last instance on the general budget of the EU
- exerts the democratic control over EU institutions including the European Commission and appoints the Commission members
- based and plenary sessions in Strasbourg, General Secretariat in Luxembourg, primarily meets in Brussels
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- summit of the Heads of Government, chaired by the President of the European Council)
- gives the necessary impetus for the development and sets out general objectives and priorities
- will not legislate
- based in Brussels
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- acts together with the Parliament as a legislator
- exerts together with the Parliament the budgetary power
- ensures coordination of the broad economic and social policy and sets out guidelines for the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP)
- conclude international agreements
- based in Brussels
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- is the "government"
- submits proposals for new legislation to the Parliament and to the Council
- implements EU policy and administers the European Union budget|budget
- ensures compliance with EU law
- negotiates international treaties
- based in Brussels
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Court of Justice of the European Union
- Judiciary -
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European Court of Auditors
- Financial auditor -
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European Central Bank
- Monetary executive (central bank) -
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- ensure uniformity of interpretation of European law
- has the power to decide legal disputes between EU member states, EU institutions, businesses and individuals
- based in Luxembourg
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- shall examine the proper use of revenue and expenditure of the EU institutions
- based in Luxembourg
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- forms together with the national central banks the European System of Central Banks and thereby determining the monetary policy of the EU
- ensures price stability in the eurozone by controlling the money supply
- based in Frankfurt am Main
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