At present, the EU has a total of 15 member States, with the founding members being France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg, 1973 being Denmark, Ireland and Britain, 198 1 being Greece, 1986 being Spain, Portugal and Austria. The EU * * has 1 1 official languages, namely English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Finnish and Greek. According to the regulations, all official EU documents must be printed in the above 1 1 language.
The predecessor of the European Union is the European Community (EC). European atoms include "European coal and steel atom", "European atomic energy atom" and "European economic atom", among which "European economic atom" is the most important.
1951April 18, France, the Federal Republic of Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg signed the European Coal and Steel Treaty, also known as the Paris Treaty. 1952 On July 25th, the Paris Treaty came into effect, and the "isomorphism of coal and steel in Europe" was formally established.
1957 On March 25th, the above six countries signed the European Economic Treaty and the European Atomic Energy Treaty in Rome, collectively known as the Treaty of Rome. 1 958 65438+1October1Rome Treaty came into effect, and "European economic unity" and "European atomic energy unity" were formally established. 1On April 8th, 965, the above-mentioned six countries signed the Brussels Treaty and decided to merge the three isomorphic institutions, which are collectively called "European isomorphic institutions", but the three organizations still exist independently and operate in independent names. The Brussels Treaty came into force in July 1967. 1991121The European Union held a summit in Maastricht, the Netherlands, and adopted the Treaty on the European Union, commonly known as the Maastricht Treaty (hereinafter referred to as the Maastricht Treaty), which aims at establishing the European economic and monetary union and the European political union.
1on February 7, 1992, the Maastricht treaty was formally signed by the foreign ministers of the member States, and came into effect on February 7, 1993, when the European union was formally established. According to the Maastricht Treaty, the EU still exists as the main pillar of the EU. After the entry into force of the Maastricht Treaty, the European Union has not made a decision to change the title, but the title "EU" has become more and more widely used within the EU and internationally, referred to as "EU". At present, "European style" and "European Union" can be used.
Organizational structure of the European Union
The European Union is a supranational organization, which has both the attributes of an international organization and the characteristics of a federation. EU member states voluntarily cede part of their national sovereignty to the EU. The EU emphasizes the participation of all member states in the organization composition and power distribution, and its organizational system is based on the principles of "* * *", "legal system" and "separation of powers and checks and balances".
The Council of Europe is the highest decision-making body of the European Union, composed of heads of state or government of member States and the President of the European Commission, and meets at least twice a year. The chairman of the Council is rotated by member States for a term of six months.
The Council of European Union is composed of ministers of EU member states, so it is also called "Council of Ministers", which is an important decision-making body of the EU. According to different topics, the participants were Foreign Minister, Minister of Agriculture, Minister of Industry and Minister of Communications. The Council of Ministers makes decisions on EU policies on the basis of the recommendations of the European Commission, and is responsible for cooperating with the governments of foreign and security policies, justice and internal affairs, and appointing and supervising the heads of major EU institutions. The Council of the European Union shares the legislative power and budget approval power with the European Parliament, and is responsible for approving international treaties negotiated and signed by the European Commission in advance. According to the importance of the topic, the Council of the European Union adopts three voting mechanisms: simple majority (8 votes out of 15), effective majority (62 votes out of 87) and unanimous consent.
The term of office and rotation order of the President of the Council of Europe are the same as those of the Council of Europe. The General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union is located in Brussels, Belgium. The current Secretary-General Javier Solana, a Spaniard,1took office in June 1999 for a five-year term. Solana also served as the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.
The European Commission, referred to as the European Commission for short, is the permanent executive body of the EU and the only institution in the EU that has the right to draft laws and regulations. Under the supervision of the European Parliament, the European Commission is mainly responsible for: implementing relevant EU treaties, regulations and decisions made by the Council of the European Union; Submit policy implementation reports and legislative motions to the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament; Handle the daily affairs of the EU and conduct foreign relations and trade negotiations on behalf of the EU; In the EU's foreign and security policy, the European Commission has only the right to make suggestions and participate. The European Commission is composed of 20 members, 2 from France, Germany, Britain, Italy and Spain, and 1 from other member States, with 1 chairman and 2 vice-chairmen. Romano Prodi, the current president of the European Commission, is the Italian Prime Minister. He officially took office on September 1999, and his term of office was until October 22, 2005/kloc-0. The European Commission is headquartered in Brussels, Belgium.
The European Parliament and the Council of the European Union share the power of legislative and budgetary examination and approval, and are the supervisory and advisory bodies of the European Union. Its main duties are: to have the power to approve part of the EU budget and supervise its implementation; In some important areas, such as signing international agreements, appointing members of the European Commission, and joining the EU by new member States, the Council must obtain the consent of the European Parliament. Have the right to propose legislative bills and veto legislation; Supervise the work of the European Commission and have the right to impeach the Commission by a two-thirds majority and force it to resign collectively. The term of office of Parliament is five years, with Speaker 1 and Deputy Speaker 14. The term of office of both speakers is two and a half years, and they can be re-elected. The current Speaker of the European Parliament is a Frenchman, Ms Nicole Fontaine, who was elected in June 1999. The parliamentary secretariat is located in Luxembourg. Special plenary meetings and meetings of various party groups and committees were held in Brussels.
The European Court of Justice in Luxembourg is the arbitration institution of the European Union, which is responsible for interpreting the treaties and regulations of the European Union, and at the same time hearing and adjudicating various disputes arising from the implementation of the treaties and regulations. At present, the European Court of Justice has 15 judges, and each of the 15 member States has 1 judge. There are also nine prosecutors, of whom Britain, France, Germany and Italy each have the recommendation right of 1, and the other five are recommended by other member States in turn. Their term of office is six years, and they can be re-elected and rotated by half every three years. The current President Rodrí guez iglesias is Spanish.
The European Court of Audit is responsible for auditing the accounts of the EU and its institutions, reviewing the income and expenditure of the EU, ensuring the good management of EU finances, and investigating non-member States that receive EU assistance. When its privileges are challenged, they can be protected through the European Court of Justice.
European Economic and Social Committee The European Economic and Social Committee (ESC) was established in 1957 according to the Treaty of Rome, and is an advisory body of the European Union. The Economic and Social Council represents the interests of employers, trade unions, small and medium-sized enterprises, environmental protection organizations and other economic and social groups, and can express opinions on the economic and social impact of EU decision-making at the request of the European Parliament, the Council and the European Commission or spontaneously, provide suggestions for EU decision-making and exert indirect influence. EU authorities must consult the Economic and Social Council before making decisions on personnel training, employment and social funds. The headquarters of the Economic and Social Commission is in Brussels, Belgium, but all its members work in their respective member countries and come to Brussels only when the Economic and Social Commission is in session. The Economic and Social Council has 65,438+0 President and 2 Vice-Presidents, who are elected by all members for a term of two years.
The European Regional Committee was established in 1993, and it is also an advisory body of the European Union like the Economic and Social Committee. Regional committees are composed of representatives of regional authorities of member countries, such as mayors, city councillors and heads of regional governments. The European Commission and the Council must consult the opinions of the regional committees in five aspects: 1, economic and social integration (including structural funds); 2. Pan-European Transport, Communication and Energy Network; 3. Public health; 4. Education and youth; 5. culture In other decision-making fields, regional committees can also put forward their own opinions at the request of the European Commission and the Council or spontaneously, and exert indirect influence on EU decision-making.
European Investment Bank The European Investment Bank is a financial institution of the European Union, whose purpose is to promote the integration, balanced development and economic and social integration of all member countries. The European Investment Bank mainly provides low-interest or interest-free loans to facilitate the projects of public institutions and private enterprises in the EU, so as to support the development and industrial transformation of backward areas in the EU and promote the development of transportation, communication and energy in the EU. The European Investment Bank can also invest in projects outside the EU according to the development assistance or cooperation plans signed between the EU and third countries. The bank is a joint venture funded by EU member states and enjoys the status of an independent legal person. It consists of board of directors, board of directors, management committee and audit committee. The headquarters of the bank is located in Luxembourg.
European Central Bank The European Central Bank (ECB) is the central bank after the euro zone countries unify their currencies and issue euros. Its predecessor was the European Monetary Association (EMI). 1 June 19981The European Council formally appointed the President, Vice-President and four members of the Executive Board of the European Central Bank, which was regarded as the official establishment day of the European Central Bank. The European Central Bank and the central banks of the euro zone member countries form the "European Central Bank System", which is responsible for formulating unified monetary and financial policies in the euro zone to maintain price stability and stimulate economic growth in the euro zone. The European Central Bank has a management committee, an executive committee and a general council of the European Central Bank. The normal term of office of the president of the European Central Bank is eight years. However, due to disputes among EU member states over the candidate for the first president, a compromise was finally reached, and the term of office of the two presidents was four years each. The current President Willem F.Duisenberg, a Dutchman, has a four-year term and took office in June 1998. The European Central Bank is headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany.
In addition, there are European Statistical Office, European Agricultural Fund, European Investment Fund, European Development Fund and other institutions in the EU, which play an auxiliary role in the operation of the EU mechanism.