Guide to EU Institutions
The Main EU Institutions
- The European Council brings together the Heads of State or Government from each Member State at least twice a year, to provide overall strategic direction and general political guidance. The European Council does not exercise legislative functions.
For more information, please refer to our Council guide. - The Council of the European Union represents the EU Member States and is comprised of national Ministers. It has its seat in Brussels, where it meets several times a month in different ‘formations’, depending on the policy area in question. (Some meetings are also held in Luxembourg).
For more information, please refer to our Council guide. - The European Parliament is comprised of Members of European Parliament (MEPs), who are directly elected to represent EU citizens. Its full meetings, or ‘plenary sessions’, are held in Strasbourg or Brussels.
For more information, please refer to our European Parliament guide. - The European Commission is an independent political body which represents the European interest common to all Member States. The College of Commissioners is supported by a multinational staff, referred to as the Commission services, the ‘civil service’ of the EU. The Commission has offices in Brussels and Luxembourg.
For more information, please refer to our European Commission guide.
Other European Institutions
There are a number of additional institutions which support the work of the main institutions of the European Union. These include the European Court of Justice (ECJ), the General Court, the Court of Auditors, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), the Committee of the Regions (CoR), the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Central Bank (ECB). For more about these institutions, please refer to our guide.