Overview

Created in the aftermath of WWII as the EEC (European Economic Community), the EU is an economic and political partnership between 27 European member states that covers much of the continent together.

EU Core Values: Human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law, and respect for human rights. Charter of Fundamental Rights.
EU Motto: "United in diversity”
Main EU Portal: Europa

European Council

European Council
The European Council consists of the heads of state or government of the EU's member states, together with its President and the European Commission President. It defines the EU's general political directions and priorities. It sets the EU's overall political direction, but has no powers to pass laws.

Legislation

European Parliament
The European Parliament is the EU's only directly-elected institution. The European Parliament is an important forum for political debate and decision-making at the EU level. The Members of the European Parliament are directly elected by voters in all Member States to represent people’s interests concerning EU law-making and to make sure other EU institutions are working democratically.
European Commision
The Commission helps to shape the EU's overall strategy, proposes new EU laws and policies, monitors their implementation, and manages the EU budget. It also plays a significant role in supporting international development and delivering aid.

Other Institutions and Interinstitutional Bodies

Committee of the Regions
The Committee of the Regions (CoR) is one of the institutions of the European Union (EU) that represents local and regional authorities within the EU's decision-making process. It was established in 1994 to give regions and municipalities a voice in the EU's policymaking and to ensure that their perspectives are taken into account. The CoR plays a crucial role in promoting regional and local interests in EU policies and legislation.
Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT)
The European Union Computer Emergency Response Team, often referred to as EU-CERT or sometimes simply CERT-EU, is the cybersecurity incident response team for the institutions, agencies, and bodies of the European Union (EU). It is responsible for monitoring and responding to cybersecurity incidents that may affect the EU's information systems and networks.
Court of Auditors
The European Court of Auditors (ECA) is an EU institution responsible for auditing the finances of the European Union and ensuring that EU funds are spent legally, efficiently, and effectively. It is one of the key institutions involved in overseeing the EU's financial management and ensuring accountability.
Court of Justice
The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), often referred to simply as the European Court of Justice (ECJ), is the highest court in the European Union (EU) in matters of EU law. It plays a crucial role in interpreting EU law and ensuring its uniform application across all EU member states.
European Central Bank
The European Central Bank (ECB) is the central bank for the euro, the currency used by 19 of the 27 European Union (EU) member states in the Eurozone. The ECB was established on June 1, 1998, and it has its headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany. Its primary mission is to maintain price stability within the Eurozone and ensure the euro's sound monetary management.
European Data Protection Supervisor
The European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) is an independent supervisory authority in the European Union (EU) responsible for ensuring that EU institutions and bodies comply with data protection laws and regulations. The EDPS plays a vital role in safeguarding individuals' privacy and protecting their personal data within the EU institutions and bodies' activities.
European Economic and Social Committee
The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) is one of the institutions of the European Union (EU). It serves as a consultative body that represents various social and economic interest groups at the EU level. The EESC provides a forum for these interest groups to express their views and opinions on EU policies and legislation, thus playing a role in the EU's policymaking process.
European Investment Bank
The European Investment Bank (EIB) is the European Union's financial institution that promotes economic development and sustainable growth within the EU and some neighboring countries. Established in 1958, the EIB operates as a public bank and is owned by the EU member states. Its primary goal is to support projects and initiatives that contribute to EU policy objectives.
European Ombudsman
The European Ombudsman is an institution of the European Union (EU) responsible for investigating complaints from individuals, businesses, or organizations regarding maladministration by EU institutions or bodies. The European Ombudsman's role is to ensure transparency, accountability, and fairness in the EU administration.
European Personnel Selection Office
The European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO) is an EU agency responsible for organizing recruitment and selection procedures for positions within the institutions and agencies of the European Union (EU). EPSO plays a crucial role in managing the recruitment process for EU officials and staff, ensuring that it is fair, transparent, and based on merit.
European School of Administration
The European School of Administration was set up by the institutions of the European Union in 2005 in order to extend the range of learning and development opportunities available to their staff. We work in close cooperation with the institutions' own training departments who complement our offer by meeting their institution's specific training needs.
Publications Office
The EU Publications Office, officially known as the Publications Office of the European Union, is an EU agency responsible for publishing and disseminating official documents and publications related to the European Union. It serves as the central hub for the production, distribution, and archiving of EU publications, ensuring that EU citizens, institutions, and the general public have easy access to information about the EU.

Decentralized Agencies

There are currently over 30 decentralized EU agencies. Decentralized agencies contribute to the implementation of EU policies. They also support cooperation between the EU and national governments by pooling technical and specialist expertise and knowledge from both the EU institutions and national authorities. Decentralized agencies are spread across Europe and work on issues affecting the everyday lives of nearly 450 million people living in the EU. Examples include food, medicine, justice, transport safety, drug addiction, and the environment.

Departments and Executive Agencies
The European Union maintains a directory of its departments, agencies, and bodies, which includes executive agencies and other specialized entities. This directory provides links to individual agency websites and profiles.
Search all EU institutions and bodies
Online search which allows users to search for information about the various European Union (EU) institutions and bodies, as well as their activities and documents.
European Institute of Innovation and Technology
The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) is an EU agency established to promote innovation and entrepreneurship in Europe by supporting collaboration among higher education institutions, research organizations, and businesses. The EIT aims to drive sustainable economic growth, create jobs, and enhance Europe's global competitiveness through innovation and the development of new technologies.

Euratom Agencies and Bodies

There are 2 Euratom agencies and bodies set up to support the aims of the European Atomic Energy Community Treaty (EURATOM, 1957). The aims of the Treaty are to coordinate national nuclear research programs for peaceful purposes, to provide knowledge, infrastructure, and funding for nuclear energy, and to ensure sufficient and secure nuclear energy supplies.

Euratom Supply Agency
The agency ensures a regular and equitable supply of nuclear fuels to EU users. It enhances the security of supply to users in the European Union.
Fusion for Energy Joint Undertaking
The joint undertaking manages the EU’s contribution to the ITER (originally, the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) project, designed to demonstrate the scientific and technological feasibility of fusion power, and cooperates with Japan on fusion research and development projects.