Read the summary and the most important questions on EU's political institutions HS 3 ( Week 1)

• 1 Introduction

• What is one of Winston Churchill's famous sayings?

  It has been said that democracy is one of the worst forms of government, except all the others that have been tried.

• What is the main interaction in EU law in regards of democratic legitimacy?

  Input legitimacy - public acceptance of EU Law
  output legitimacy -

• What is a key point in regards the commission's transition to majority voting, where before the voting was done unanimously?

  The commission's efficiency grew but handed in return the democratic legitimacy.

• 2 the concept of representative democracy

• Name three governmental branches:

  - Legislative
  - Executive
  - Judiciary 
  
  ( aka de drie machten)

• The executive a.o. usually drafts bills for the parliament to vote on and sets out the policy of the government. What would be an important part the latter?

  A Permanent administration, aka bureaucracy or civil service.  task of advising the government and applying the law on a daily basis. Request for passports and student loans etc.

• 2.1 Representative democracy and the EU

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• When comparing EU bodies with the ones from member states. We can carefully make the next comparison

  Executive and administration = Commission (with right of initiative)
  Legislative Bi cameral = EP and directly elected ( lower house
                                               The Council not directly elected ( upper house) 
  
  Some executive power have been conferred to the European council and the council.

• 3 Commission

• 3.1 introduction

• What are the main articles describing the role and tasks of the Commission

  17 TEU - main role description
  18 TEU - role of the High Representative 
  244 TFEU - Election members
  245 TFEU - Independence members plus Duties members.

• 3.2 compostion

• Name three 'parts' of the commission.

  1. The college of Commission
  2. The President and the ' High Representative' of the Commission
  3. Thousands of staff members of the administration

• 3.2.1 Number of members

• Which treaty put the current composition of the Commission into force?

  The treaty of Lisbon (2009). There the EU leaders agreed that if the Treaty will be ratified, each member state will have one representative in the Commission. It was only formally adopted by 2013

• 3.2.2 The president

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• What can a President not do in regards to the Commission. And what can it do?

  It cannot decline or have any sort of veto on Commission's proposals.  It can influence a lot of the Commission. The President's task is to set out the guidelines of the Commission. It can ,if necessary, ensure the resignation of on of the Commissioners.