European bodies and institutions

Decision-making institutions

The European Parliament, the Council of the European Union and the European Commission constitute the ‘institutional triangle’ that defines policies and adopts the legislative instruments applying within the European Union.

Consultative bodies

The European Court of Justice ensures that European institutions and Member States abide by the rule of law, and the European Court of Auditors oversees the execution of the EU’s budget.

More specialised institutions and agencies

Sometimes, the decision-making institutions need additional information before they can actually reach decisions. If so, they consult the European Central Bank or the more specialised bodies like the Committee of the Regions (CoR), the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) or the European Investment Bank (EIB).

The European Union has also set up more specialised agencies like the decentralised European Medicines Agency (EMA), the European Defence Agency (EDA) and the European Police Office (EUROPOL).

Besides all these EU institutions and bodies, one person – the European Ombudsman – defends European citizens and companies against the risks of a potentially poor administration.