Politics of the European Federation

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.

Chamber of Deputies

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.