Sample listening summary

A whistle-stop tour of the key EU institutions

In this BBC news piece the reporter first gives us some information on the history of the European Union (EU), which can be traced back to the European Steel & Coal Community established by six European nations after the Second World War.  The Community then transformed into the Union of 27 Member States, having common positions on all policy areas from global warming to the Hungarian sewage system. The following principle is one of the main pillars of the EU policy: "the richer countries help out the poorer ones."

When it comes to understanding the legislative process of the EU, the story starts to get quite complicated, as it is a unique game consisting of three main players within a system of checks and balances unlike any other one in the world.

The first player the reporter presents is the Commission (often called "the engine of the EU") with its 27 Commissioners located in the Berlaymont building. The Schuman metro station nearby is named after a former French foreign minister, who played a crucial role in the early conception of the idea of a united Europe. It is this institution which has the right to propose laws, and where Commissioners regularly meet on Wednesdays. Commissioners and the civil servants at the Commission see themselves as the "guardians of the soul of Europe" against the petty national interests of each Member State.

These national interests are represented at the Council, the second institution the reporter mentions. Its main building has 16 meeting rooms, where ministers and ambassadors get together regularly. At least three times a year the heads of Member States meet there, as well. One could say that "a lot of the real work is done" at the bar, where the informal discussions take place.

The third big player, which is the most familiar one for anyone from a democratic country, is the European Parliament. Among the three institutions, it is the only one whose members (MEPs) are directly elected by the people. The Commission and the Council have to take MEPs' amendments on proposed laws into account. When it comes to budget decisions, they even have the power to reject the whole proposal.

The Parliament demands more and more influence within the balance of powers among the three institutions, and it seemed to be increasingly getting it at the time this report came out.  However, it is ultimately up to the national governments represented at the Council to accept or reject any given legislation proposed by the Commission.