How the EU makes laws at present
The usual way in which EU laws are made is called “co-decision”. This is where: The Commission makes a proposal; the Council (of Ministers) and the European Parliament discuss it and may each make changes; and the final decision is then made by the Council and the Parliament jointly.
There are specific decision making procedures in relation to Common Foreign and Security Policy where decisions are made by the Council alone.
The European Commission
The Commission is composed of one member (European Commissioner) nominated by each Member State but is independent of the Member States. Its role is to propose policies and laws, implement EU decisions and ensure that EU law is respected by Member States.
The Council (of Ministers)
The Council is composed of one government minister from each Member State. Each Member State is usually represented by the minister responsible for the subject being discussed. For example, the Agriculture Council is composed of the Ministers for Agriculture and so on. The Council makes the final decisions on legislation either alone or in co-operation with the European Parliament.
The European Parliament
The Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) are directly elected by the people eligible to vote in the Member States. The Parliament adopts legislation jointly with the Council in a number of areas and is consulted by the Council prior to its adoption in some other areas. It has certain supervisory functions over the European Commission.
The European Council (Heads of Government)
The European Council is composed of the heads of government or state of each Member State together with the President of the Commission. The European Council gives overall political direction to the EU.
