PART I
TITLE IV - THE UNION'S INSTITUTIONS AND BODIES
CHAPTER I - THE INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK
ARTICLE I-19
The Union's institutions
1. The Union shall have an institutional framework which shall aim to:
– promote its values,
– advance its objectives,
– serve its interests, those of its citizens and those of the Member States,
– ensure the consistency, effectiveness and continuity of its policies
and actions.
This institutional framework comprises:
– The European Parliament,
– The European Council,
– The Council of Ministers (hereinafter referred to as the "Council"),
– The European Commission (hereinafter referred to as the "Commission"),
– The Court of Justice of the European Union.
2. Each institution shall act within the limits of the powers conferred on it in the Constitution, and in conformity with the procedures and conditions set out in it. The institutions shall practise mutual sincere cooperation.
ARTICLE I-20
The European Parliament
1. The European Parliament shall, jointly with the Council, exercise legislative
and budgetary functions. It shall exercise functions of political control and
consultation as laid down in the Constitution. It shall elect the President
of the Commission.
2. The European Parliament shall be composed of representatives of the Union's
citizens. They shall not exceed seven hundred and fifty in number. Representation
of citizens shall be degressively proportional, with a minimum threshold of
six members per Member State. No Member State shall be allocated more than ninety-six
seats.
The European Council shall adopt by unanimity, on the initiative of the European Parliament and with its consent, a European decision establishing the composition of the European Parliament, respecting the principles referred to in the first subparagraph.
3. The members of the European Parliament shall be elected for a term of five years by direct universal suffrage in a free and secret ballot.
4. The European Parliament shall elect its President and its officers from among its members.
ARTICLE I-21
The European Council
1. The European Council shall provide the Union with the necessary impetus for
its development and shall define the general political directions and priorities
thereof. It shall not exercise legislative functions.
2. The European Council shall consist of the Heads of State or Government of the Member States, together with its President and the President of the Commission. The Union Minister for Foreign Affairs shall take part in its work.
3. The European Council shall meet quarterly, convened by its President. When the agenda so requires, the members of the European Council may decide each to be assisted by a minister and, in the case of the President of the Commission, by a member of the Commission. When the situation so requires, the President shall convene a special meeting of the European Council.
4. Except where the Constitution provides otherwise, decisions of the European
Council shall be taken by consensus.
ARTICLE I-22
The European Council President
1. The European Council shall elect its President, by a qualified majority, for a term of two and a half years, renewable once. In the event of an impediment or serious misconduct, the European Council can end his or her term of office in accordance with the same procedure.
2. The President of the European Council:
(a) shall chair it and drive forward its work;
(b) shall ensure the preparation and continuity of the work of the European
Council in cooperation with the President of the Commission, and on the basis
of the work of the General Affairs Council;
(c) shall endeavour to facilitate cohesion and consensus within the European
Council;
(d) shall present a report to the European Parliament after each of the meetings
of the European Council.
The President of the European Council shall, at his or her level and in that capacity, ensure the external representation of the Union on issues concerning its common foreign and security policy, without prejudice to the powers of the Union Minister for Foreign Affairs.
3. The President of the European Council shall not hold a national office.
ARTICLE I-23
The Council of Ministers
1. The Council shall, jointly with the European Parliament, exercise legislative and budgetary functions. It shall carry out policy-making and coordinating functions as laid down in the Constitution.
2. The Council shall consist of a representative of each Member State at ministerial
level, who may commit the government of the Member State in question and cast
its vote.
3. The Council shall act by a qualified majority except where the Constitution
provides otherwise.
ARTICLE I-24
Configurations of the Council of Ministers
1. The Council shall meet in different configurations.
2. The General Affairs Council shall ensure consistency in the work of the different Council configurations.
It shall prepare and ensure the follow-up to meetings of the European Council, in liaison with the President of the European Council and the Commission.
3. The Foreign Affairs Council shall elaborate the Union's external action on the basis of strategic guidelines laid down by the European Council and ensure that the Union's action is consistent.
4. The European Council shall adopt by a qualified majority a European decision establishing the list of other Council configurations.
5. A Committee of Permanent Representatives of the Governments of the Member States shall be responsible for preparing the work of the Council.
6. The Council shall meet in public when it deliberates and votes on a draft legislative act. To this end, each Council meeting shall be divided into two parts, dealing respectively with deliberations on Union legislative acts and non-legislative activities.
7. The Presidency of Council configurations, other than that of Foreign Affairs, shall be held by Member State representatives in the Council on the basis of equal rotation, in accordance with the conditions established by a European decision of the European Council. The European Council shall act by a qualified majority.
ARTICLE I-25
Definition of qualified majority within the European Council and the Council
1. A qualified majority shall be defined as at least 55% of the members of the
Council, comprising at least fifteen of them and representing Member States
comprising at least 65% of the population of the Union.
A blocking minority must include at least four Council members, failing which the qualified majority shall be deemed attained.
2. By way of derogation from paragraph 1, when the Council does not act on a proposal from the Commission or from the Union Minister for Foreign Affairs, the qualified majority shall be defined as at least 72% of the members of the Council, representing Member States comprising at least 65% of the population of the Union.
3. Paragraphs 1 and 2 shall apply to the European Council when it is acting by a qualified majority.
4. Within the European Council, its President and the President of the Commission shall not take part in the vote.
ARTICLE I-26
The European Commission
1. The Commission shall promote the general interest of the Union and take
appropriate initiatives to that end. It shall ensure the application of the
Constitution, and measures adopted by the institutions pursuant to the Constitution.
It shall oversee the application of Union law under the control of the Court
of Justice of the European Union. It shall execute the budget and manage programmes.
It shall exercise coordinating, executive and management functions, as laid
down in
the Constitution. With the exception of the common foreign and security policy,
and other cases provided for in the Constitution, it shall ensure the Union's
external representation. It shall initiate the Union's annual and multiannual
programming with a view to achieving interinstitutional agreements.
2. Union legislative acts may be adopted only on the basis of a Commission proposal, except where the Constitution provides otherwise. Other acts shall be adopted on the basis of a Commission proposal where the Constitution so provides.
3. The Commission's term of office shall be five years.
4. The members of the Commission shall be chosen on the ground of their general
competence and European commitment from persons whose independence is beyond
doubt.
5. The first Commission appointed under the provisions of the Constitution shall
consist of one national of each Member State, including its President and the
Union Minister for Foreign Affairs who shall be one of its Vice-Presidents.
6. As from the end of the term of office of the Commission referred to in paragraph
5, the Commission shall consist of a number of members, including its President
and the Union Minister for Foreign Affairs, corresponding to two thirds of the
number of Member States, unless the European Council, acting unanimously, decides
to alter this number.
The members of the Commission shall be selected from among the nationals of the Member States on the basis of a system of equal rotation between the Member States. This system shall be established by a European decision adopted unanimously by the European Council and on the basis of the following principles:
(a) Member States shall be treated on a strictly equal footing as regards determination
of the sequence of, and the time spent by, their nationals as members of the
Commission; consequently, the difference between the total number of terms of
office held by nationals of any given pair of Member States may never be more
than one;
(b) subject to point (a), each successive Commission shall be so composed as to reflect satisfactorily the demographic and geographical range of all the Member States.
7. In carrying out its responsibilities, the Commission shall be completely
independent. Without prejudice to Article I-28(2), the members of the Commission
shall neither seek nor take instructions from any government or other institution,
body, office or entity. They shall refrain from any action incompatible with
their duties or the performance of their tasks.
8. The Commission, as a body, shall be responsible to the European Parliament.
In accordance with Article III-340, the European Parliament may vote on a censure
motion on the Commission. If such a motion is carried, the members of the Commission
shall resign as a body and the Union Minister for Foreign Affairs shall resign
from the duties that he or she carries out in the Commission.
ARTICLE I-27
The President of the European Commission
1. Taking into account the elections to the European Parliament and after having
held the appropriate consultations, the European Council, acting by a qualified
majority, shall propose to the European Parliament a candidate for President
of the Commission. This candidate shall be elected by the European Parliament
by a majority of its component members. If he or she does not obtain the required
majority, the European Council, acting by a qualified majority, shall within
one month
propose a new candidate who shall be elected by the European Parliament following
the same procedure.
2. The Council, by common accord with the President-elect, shall adopt the list of the other persons whom it proposes for appointment as members of the Commission. They shall be selected, on the basis of the suggestions made by Member States, in accordance with the criteria set out in Article I-26(4) and (6), second subparagraph.
The President, the Union Minister for Foreign Affairs and the other members
of the Commission shall be subject as a body to a vote of consent by the European
Parliament. On the basis of this consent the Commission shall be appointed by
the European Council, acting by a qualified majority.
3. The President of the Commission shall:
(a) lay down guidelines within which the Commission is to work;
(b) decide on the internal organisation of the Commission, ensuring that it
acts consistently, efficiently and as a collegiate body;
(c) appoint Vice-Presidents, other than the Union Minister for Foreign Affairs,
from among the members of the Commission.
A member of the Commission shall resign if the President so requests. The Union Minister for Foreign Affairs shall resign, in accordance with the procedure set out in Article I-28(1), if the President so requests.
ARTICLE I-28
The Union Minister for Foreign Affairs
1. The European Council, acting by a qualified majority, with the agreement of the President of the Commission, shall appoint the Union Minister for Foreign Affairs. The European Council may end his or her term of office by the same procedure.
2. The Union Minister for Foreign Affairs shall conduct the Union's common foreign
and security policy. He or she shall contribute by his or her proposals to the
development of that policy, which he or she shall carry out as mandated by the
Council. The same shall apply to the common security and defence policy.
3. The Union Minister for Foreign Affairs shall preside over the Foreign Affairs
Council.
4. The Union Minister for Foreign Affairs shall be one of the Vice-Presidents
of the Commission. He or she shall ensure the consistency of the Union's external
action. He or she shall be responsible within the Commission for responsibilities
incumbent on it in external relations and for coordinating other aspects of
the Union's external action. In exercising these responsibilities within the
Commission, and only for these responsibilities, the Union Minister for Foreign
Affairs shall be bound by Commission procedures to the extent that this is consistent
with paragraphs 2 and 3.
ARTICLE I-29
The Court of Justice of the European Union
1. The Court of Justice of the European Union shall include the Court of Justice, the General Court and specialised courts. It shall ensure that in the interpretation and application of the Constitution the law is observed.
Member States shall provide remedies sufficient to ensure effective legal protection in the fields covered by Union law.
2. The Court of Justice shall consist of one judge from each Member State. It shall be assisted by Advocates-General.
The General Court shall include at least one judge per Member State.
The judges and the Advocates-General of the Court of Justice and the judges of the General Court shall be chosen from persons whose independence is beyond doubt and who satisfy the conditions set out in Articles III-355 and III-356. They shall be appointed by common accord of the governments of the Member States for six years. Retiring judges and Advocates-General may be reappointed.
3. The Court of Justice of the European Union shall in accordance with Part
III:
(a) rule on actions brought by a Member State, an institution or a natural
or legal person;
(b) give preliminary rulings, at the request of courts or tribunals of the Member
States, on the interpretation of Union law or the validity of acts adopted by
the institutions;
(c) rule in other cases provided for in the Constitution.
CHAPTER II
THE OTHER UNION INSTITUTIONS AND ADVISORY BODIES
ARTICLE I-30
The European Central Bank
1. The European Central Bank, together with the national central banks, shall
constitute the European System of Central Banks. The European Central Bank,
together with the national central banks of the Member States whose currency
is the euro, which constitute the Eurosystem, shall conduct the monetary policy
of the Union.
2. The European System of Central Banks shall be governed by the decision-making
bodies of the European Central Bank. The primary objective of the European System
of Central Banks shall be to maintain price stability. Without prejudice to
that objective, it shall support the general economic policies in the Union
in order to contribute to the achievement of the latter's objectives. It shall
conduct other Central Bank tasks in accordance with Part III and the Statute
of the European System of Central Banks and of the European Central Bank.
3. The European Central Bank is an institution. It shall have legal personality.
It alone may authorise the issue of the euro. It shall be independent in the
exercise of its powers and in the management of its finances. Union institutions,
bodies, offices and agencies and the governments of the Member States shall
respect that independence.
4. The European Central Bank shall adopt such measures as are necessary to carry out its tasks in accordance with Articles III-185 to III-191 and Article III-196, and with the conditions laid down in the Statute of the European System of Central Banks and of the European Central Bank. In accordance with these same Articles, those Member States whose currency is not the euro, and their central banks, shall retain their powers in monetary matters.
5. Within the areas falling within its responsibilities, the European Central
Bank shall be consulted on all proposed Union acts, and all proposals for regulation
at national level, and may give an opinion.
6. The decision-making organs of the European Central Bank, their composition
and operating methods are set out in Articles III-382 and III-383, as well as
in the Statute of the European System of Central Banks and of the European Central
Bank.
ARTICLE I-31
The Court of Auditors
1. The Court of Auditors is an institution. It shall carry out the Union's audit.
2. It shall examine the accounts of all Union revenue and expenditure, and shall
ensure good financial management.
3. It shall consist of one national of each Member State. Its members shall
be completely independent in the performance of their duties, in the Union's
general interest.
ARTICLE I-32
The Union's advisory bodies
1. The European Parliament, the Council and the Commission shall be assisted by a Committee of the Regions and an Economic and Social Committee, exercising advisory functions.
2. The Committee of the Regions shall consist of representatives of regional
and local bodies who either hold a regional or local authority electoral mandate
or are politically accountable to an elected assembly.
3. The Economic and Social Committee shall consist of representatives of organisations
of employers, of the employed, and of other parties representative of civil
society, notably in socio-economic, civic, professional and cultural areas.
4. The members of the Committee of the Regions and the Economic and Social Committee
shall not be bound by any mandatory instructions. They shall be completely independent
in the performance of their duties, in the Union's general interest.
5. Rules governing the composition of these Committees, the designation of their
members, their powers and their operations are set out in Articles III-386 to
III-392.
The rules referred to in paragraphs 2 and 3 governing the nature of their composition shall be reviewed at regular intervals by the Council to take account of economic, social and demographic developments within the Union. The Council, on a proposal from the Commission, shall adopt European decisions to that end.