Politics of the European Union
(Politics of the European Federation)
European Union is a democratic, federal
parliamentary republic, and federal legislative power is vested in the Chamber of Deputies (the parliament of Europe) and the Senat (the representative body of the Member States, subjects of the European Union
(European Federation)). There is a multi-party system that has been dominated
by the European People's Party (EPP), the Party of European Socialists (PES)
and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party (ALDE Party). The
judiciary of European Union is independent of the executive and the
legislature. The political system is laid out in the constitution, the
Constitution of the European Federation.
The constitution emphasizes the protection of
individual liberty in an extensive
CHAPTER II THE CHARTER OF FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS and divides powers both
between the federal and state levels and between the legislative, executive and
judicial branches.
The author of the Constitution of the European
Federation sought to that some of the Constitution is based on the tradition of
the european integration (preserved naming of the institution and drawing on the
acquis of the Treaties on European Union). The author also ensured that human rights
and human dignity were made central and core parts of the Constitution. The
principles of democracy, republicanism, social responsibility, and federalism
are key components of the Constitution; the principles underlying these
articles are constitutionally entrenched.
Political system of the European Union (European Federation)
1) Executive
Head of state
The Europe head of state is the President of
the European Union. As in Europe's parliamentary system of government the
President of the European Executive Council runs the government and the politics of
the day while the role of the President of the European Union is mostly
ceremonial. The President of the European Union, by his actions and public
appearances, represents the state itself, its existence, its legitimacy, and
unity. His office involves an integrative role. Nearly all actions of the
President of the European Union become valid only after a countersignature of a
government member.
The President of the European Union is not
obliged by Constitution to refrain from political views. He is expected to give
direction to general political and societal debates, but not in a way that
links him to party politics. Most European Presidents were active politicians
and party members prior to the office, which means that they have to change
their political style when becoming President. The function comprises the
official residence of Résidence Palace.
Under Article 110 (1) of the Constitution, the
President of the European Union represents the European Union in matters of
international law, concludes treaties with foreign states on its behalf and
accredits diplomats.
All european laws must be signed by the
President before they can come into effect; he does not have a veto. The office
is currently held by Donald Tusk (since 2014).
The President of the European Union does have a
role in the political system, especially at the establishment of a new
government (European Executive Council) and the dissolution of the Chamber of Deputies (lower house). This role is usually nominal but can become significant in case
of political instability.
As Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, the
President shall appoint the Chief of the General Staff and commanders of branches
of the Armed Forces.
Head of government
The President of the European Executive Council (federal/european Prime Minister) heads the
European Executive Council (federal/european government) and thus the executive
branch of the european government. European Executive Council is elected by and
responsible to the Chamber of Deputies, Europe's parliament. The other members
of the government are the European ministers; they are chosen by the
President of the European Executive Council. European Union can thus be classified as
a parliamentary system. The office is currently held by Jean-Claude Juncker (since 2014).
The President of the European Executive Council cannot
be removed from office during a five-year term unless the Chamber of Deputies has agreed on a
successor. This constructive vote of no confidence is intended to avoid the
situation in which the executive did not have enough support in the legislature
to govern effectively, but the legislature was too divided to name a successor.
The current system also prevents the President of the European Executive Council from
calling a snap election.
Cabinet
The Europe Cabinet (European Executive Council) is the
chief executive body of the European Union as a federal state. It consists of
the President of the European Executive Council, Vice-presidents and the European
ministers. The fundamentals of the cabinet's organization are set down in
articles 123–138 of the Constitution.
The
procedure for appointing of the European Executive Council
2) Legislature
European legislative power is divided between
the Chamber of Deputies and the Senat. The Chamber of Deputies is directly elected by the Europe citizens, while the Senat represents the governments of the Member States (the subjects of
the European Union). The european legislature has powers of exclusive
jurisdiction and concurrent jurisdiction with the states in areas specified in
the constitution.
The two houses are independent from one another
and never meet jointly except under circumstances specified by the
Constitution. The Chamber of Deputies is same power than the Senat in the legislative process. In the event of disagreement between
the Chamber of Deputies and the Senat, a Conciliation Committee is formed to find a compromise.
The Chamber of Deputies (lower house) is elected for a five-year term and consists
of 645 members elected by a means of member proportional representation. Each
Member State constitutes an electoral constituency. The number of
representatives per each Member State is set out in the European supplementary
law, in proportion to population. Necessary adjustments are made in the year
before the election, so that no Member State had no less than 3 and not more
than 96 seats.
Senat
Senat is the upper house of the European Legislature, the lower house being
the Chamber of Deputies. Senat is a
legislative body that represents the Member States (federated states) of
European Union at the federal level.
The Senat shall consist of members of the Member State
governments, which appoint and recall them. Other members of those governments
may serve as alternates. At the head of delegation of a Member State, the Prime
Minister of that Member State.
The
political makeup of the Senat is affected by changes in
power in the Member States of European Union, and thus by elections in each
Member State. Each Member State delegation in the Senat is essentially a representation of the Member State government and reflects the
political makeup of the ruling majority or plurality of each Member State
legislature (including coalitions).
The number
of votes a Member State is allocated is based on a form of degressive
proportionality according to its population. This way, smaller states have more
votes than a distribution proportional to the population would grant. The
allocation of votes is regulated by the Constitution of the European
Federation. All of a state's votes are cast en bloc—either for or against or in
abstention of a proposal. Each
Member State is allocated at least two votes, and a maximum of ten. Member
States with more than
- 6 million inhabitants have 3 votes,
- 12 million inhabitants have 4 votes,
- 20 million inhabitants have 5 votes,
- 30 million inhabitants have 6 votes,
- 42 million inhabitants have 7 votes,
- 56 million inhabitants have 8 votes,
- 72 million inhabitants have 9 votes,
- 90 million inhabitants have 10 votes.
3) Judiciary
The
judicial branch (or judiciary), composed of the Court of Justice of the European Union and lower european courts, exercises
judicial power (or judiciary). The judiciary's function is to interpret the Constitution of the European Federation and european
laws and regulations. This includes resolving disputes between the executive
and legislative branches. The federal government's layout is explained in the
Constitution.
