The mainbodies of the European Union and Euratom are:
Apart from them, some several other bodies exist.
TheTreaty on European Union in Article 13 lists seveninstitutions of the European Union, including one which is an international entity (theEuropean Central Bank).
| Logo | Name | TEU | Seat | Members | Chairperson |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TheEuropean Parliament | 1 | Strasbourg | 720 MEPs | ||
| TheEuropean Council | 2 | Brussels | 27 Heads of State or Government of the Member States and the President of the Commission | ||
| TheCouncil of the European Union | 3 | Brussels | 27 ministers | Biannual rotation; currently | |
| TheEuropean Commission | 4 | Brussels | 27 commissioners | ||
| TheCourt of Justice of the European Union | 5 | Luxembourg | 27 judges, 11 Advocate-Generals | ||
| TheEuropean Central Bank | 6 | Frankfurt am Main | |||
| TheEuropean Court of Auditors | 7 | Luxembourg | 27 members, 1 president |
In addition, theEuropean Investment Bank is the European Union's long-term lending institution. The EIB supports the EU's priority objectives, especially boostingsustainable growth and job creation. The Group also includes theEuropean Investment Fund and the EIB Institute.[1]
There are a number of other bodies and agencies of note that are not formal institutions. There are two consultative committees to the EU institutions: theEconomic and Social Committee (EESC) advises on economic and social policy (principally relations between workers and employers) being made up of representatives of various industries and work sectors. Its 344 members (with an additional nine members joining following the accession of Croatia to the EU), appointed by the council for four-year terms, are organised into three fairly equal groups representing employers, employees and other various interests;[2] while theEuropean Committee of the Regions (CoR) is composed of representative of regional and local authorities who hold an electoral mandate. It advises on regional issues. It has 344 members, organised in political groups, appointed every four years by the council.[3]
TheEuropean Ombudsman deals with citizens grievances against the Union's institutions and is elected for five-year terms by the Parliament.
A number of decentralised, executive and Eurarom agencies, decentralised independent bodies and joint undertakings exist, which are bodies of the EU or Euratom established as juridical persons through secondary EU legislation. These include theEuropean Environment Agency andEuropol.[4]
There are also three inter-institutional bodies lacking juridical personality: thePublications Office, the oldest one, which publishes and distributes official publications from the European Union bodies;[5] and the two relatively new: theEuropean Personnel Selection Office (EPSO), a recruitment body which organises competitions for posts within Union institutions;[6] and theEuropean Administrative School, which provides specific training for the staff of Union institutions.[7]
Another body is the anti-fraud officeOLAF whose mission is to protect the financial interests of the European Union.[8]
TheEuropean Data Protection Supervisor ensures the institutions respect citizens' privacy rights in relation to data processing.[9]
Established by Regulation 1141/2014, theAuthority for European Political Parties and European Political Foundations (APPF) is in charge of registering, controlling and imposing sanctions onEuropean political parties andEuropean political foundations.[10]