Sample listening summary

A whistle-stop tour of the key EU institutions

The journalist gives us a tour of the European institutions starting from the Schuman metro station at the European district of Brussels, named after Robert Schuman, the French minister, who inspired the creation of the European Union (EU).

The EU was born after the Second World War as the European Coal and Steel Community founded by six countries, which decided to have common control over their war materials.  The Union then expanded to 27 Members States (MS), which have common policies and laws that affect many aspects of our daily lives, because it intervenes in matters such as price controls related to pollution prevention or chemical composition of materials regarding health safety.  The aviar flu and the Hungarian sewage system are mentioned as other examples for the areas in which the EU intervenes . These issues should also matter to us, because they are paid for with our money. In the EU the richer countries help the poorer ones.

Unlike national systems, the EU is composed of three main actors. One of them is the Commission, which is the engine of the EU, and the Commission is what people  mean when they say, e.g., “Brussels has taken a decision”. The Commission has 27 Commissioners, one for each country and each one in charge of a policy area. The Commission is very important, because they have the right to propose new laws. The Commissioners have weekly meetings on Wednesdays, during which they take decisions on laws, especially if they are controversial. They see themselves as the guardians of the soul of the EU. They do not, however, have unrestricted power to act, because they have to take national interests of MS into account. Given the balance of powers among the three main institutions, the EU is a unique experiment, since there is nothing similar to it in the world.

The second actor within this structure is the Council, where national civil servants or ambassadors regularly meet to discuss the legislation proposals initiated by the Commission on subjects such as defense or agriculture. Its building is just opposite from the main Commission building. The most important meeting, which is held at least three times a year, is the summit attended by presidents and heads of state. These summits are normally very tense, since each participant is used to getting his/her own way in his/her own country.

The third actor is the European Parliament, whose name is displayed in all the EU languages by its entrance. The Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) are directly elected at the same time in each Member State.  Therefore, it is the most democratic institution of the three. The MEPs are seated according to their political groups. The three main groups are the socialists, the conservatives and the liberals. Their task consists mainly in debating daily issues and amending legistlative proposals. They also have the power to reject budget proposals, but they hardly ever use this power. Over the years up to the time this report aired, the Parliament had been getting more and more influence within the balance of powers among the three institutions.

In the end, it is, however, still up to national governments to accept or reject a proposal.