The Republic of Bulgaria

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The Treaty of Lisbon, which came into force on 1 December 2009, transformed the European Council into an institution and introduced the post of permanent President of the European Council. The European Council gives the EU the necessary impetus for its development and defines its general political direction and priorities.
European Council
 
The Treaty of Lisbon, which came into force on 1 December 2009, transformed the European Council into an institution and introduced the post of permanent President of the European Council. The European Council gives the EU the necessary impetus for its development and defines its general political direction and priorities.

The European Council consists of the Heads of State or Heads of Government of the EU Member States, the President of the European Council and the President of the European Commission. The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy also participates in its work. Whenever necessitated by the agenda, the members of the European Council may decide to be assisted by one minister, and the EC President – by one member of the Commission.

The European Council meets twice every six months. Extraordinary meetings may also be convened whenever necessary. The meetings of the European Council are usually held in Brussels.

Unless the Treaties provide otherwise, the decisions of the European Council are adopted with consensus. In certain cases the European Council may reach its decisions unanimously or with a qualified majority.

The European Council elects its President with qualified majority for a once-renewable term of two and a half years. The President is in charge of the work of that institution and has the task to facilitate the convergence of the positions and the attaining of consensus in the European Council. He is also responsible for preparations for the work and its continuity. The President of the European Council, at his level and in his capacity, represents the EU abroad on matters related to the Common Foreign and Security Policy, without infringing the competencies of the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

Mr. Herman Van Rompuy is the first permanent President of the European Council after the Treaty of Lisbon came into force.
European Parliament
 
The European Parliament (EP) is the only supranational institution whose members are elected democratically through direct universal suffrage. It representes the peoples of the EU Member States. The EP is elected once every five years and it consists of 736 MEPs (Members of the European Parliament), who are grouped according to their political allegiance, and not by nationality. Currently there are seven political groups in the EP: the Group of the European People’s Party (Christian-Democrats); the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats; the Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe; the Group of the Greens – European Free Alliance; the European Conservatists and Reformists; the Group of the European United Left – Nordic Green Left; and the Group of Europe of Freedom and Democracy.

In view of the coming into force of the Treaty of Lisbon and in view of the declaration of the European Council of December 2008 on the EP composition, the number of MEPs is due to increase to 754 for the 2009-2014 term. Bulgaria is among the countries that will increase the number of its MEPs from 17 to 18.

The European Parliament elects its President from among its members. After the elections for MEPs, which were held in the period 4-7 June 2009. Mr. Jerzy Buzek was elected EP President. The EP President is elected for a renewable period of two and a half years. The EP President represents Parliament in its external relations, as well as in its relations with the other institutions of the Community. The EP President is in charge of the overall activities of the EP and its bodies (Bureau and Conference of Presidents), and he/she also chairs the debate during the plenary sessions, being assisted in these activities by the Vice-Presidents.

The successive reforms in the Treaties resulted in constant broadening of the EP powers compared to the remaining European institutions. Today the European Parliament exercises legislative powers together with the Council, it has budget powers and exercises democratic control over all European institutions. The EP powers in the procedure on appointing the European Commission also increased. The President of the European Commission is elected subject to proposal by the European Council, taking into account the outcome of the EP elections and after consultations with the EP.

The European Parliament participates actively in the drafting of the legislation that has a direct bearing on the everyday life of the EU citizens in spheres like environmental protection, consumer rights, transport and free movement of workers, capitals, commodities and services. The EP powers also comprise determining the annual budget of the European Union jointly with the Council.

Brussels is perceived as the capital of the European Union and the seats of its executive bodies – the European Commission and the Council of the European Union – are in Brussels. A special protocol to the Treaty of Amsterdam stipulates that the monthly sessions of the European Parliament are to be held in Strasbourg. Hence the EP is sometimes unofficially referred to as “the Parliament in Strasbourg” – implying that Strasbourg is the democratic capital of Europe and as opposed to the bureaucratic principles of Brussels. However, the entire preparatory legislative work and the meetings of the parliamentary committees take place in Brussels. What is more, the Secretariat of the European Parliament (its administration), where most of the EP’s administrative staff is working, is in Luxembourg (where the EP plenary sessions also took place in the past). As a result, the European Parliament spends four days of each month in Strasbourg, where the final plenary sessions and the voting take place. Plenary sessions are sometimes held in Brussels as well.
Council of the European Union
The Council, together with the European Parliament, has legislative and budget functions. It has functions connected with identifying the policies and coordination in accordance with the terms stipulated in the Treaties.

The Council consists of one representative of each Member State at the level of ministers, who can make binding decisions on behalf of the government of the respective Member State he/she is representing and may exercise its voting rights.

The Council decides with qualified majority, except in the cases where the Treaties provide for a different procedure. The votes of the Member States acquire the following proportional weight for the acts of the European Council and of the Council, which require qualified majority voting: Austria 10, Belgium 12, Bulgaria 10, Czech Republic 12, Cyprus 4, Denmark 7, Estonia 4, Finland 7, France 29, Germany 29, Greece 12, Hungary 12, Ireland 7, Italy 29, Latvia 4, Lithuania 7, Luxembourg 4, Malta 3, Netherlands 13, Poland 27, Portugal 12, Romania 14, Slovenia 4, Slovakia 7, Spain 27, Sweden 10, UK 29.

The Treaty of Lisbon stipulates the rules for qualified majority voting, as well as the starting moment after which they would be applied. Thus, for example, the system stipulated in the Treaty of Nice is to be applied until 1 November 2014, namely the minimum number of votes needed for attaining qualified majority is 255 out of a total of 345 votes. Moreover, the majority of the Member States (two-thirds in some cases) must have approved the decision, and each Member State may demand confirmation that the votes cast in support of a decision correspond to at least 62% of the entire EU population. After 1 November 2014, the qualified majority will be defined as a majority formed of no less than 55% of the members of the Council, i.e., at least fifteen members, and representing Member States with population not below 65% of the EU population. As of the same date, in the cases when the Council is not acting on the proposal of the Commission or of the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the qualified majority will be defined as being equal to at least 72% of the Council members who represent Member States covering at least 65% of the EU population.

The Council meets in ten different configurations depending on the issues discussed. The Treaty of Lisbon specifies two of the Council formations, notably: the General Affairs Council and the Foreign Affairs Council. The list of the remaining Council formations is adopted by the European Council.

The General Affairs Council involves the participation of the ministers of foreign affairs and/or the ministers (secretaries of State) on European affairs. The General Affairs Council is responsible for the coordination in the work of the other Council formations. The GA Council prepares the meetings of the European Council, and – jointly with the President of the European Council and with the Commission – it monitors the implementation of the decisions reached. The GA Council is responsible for the general policy coordination, for institutional and administrative issues, for horizontal issues relevant to several EU policies, notably the multi-annual budget perspective and the EU enlargement.

The Foreign Affairs Council involves the participation of the ministers of foreign affairs. This configuration of the Council develops the foreign policy of the EU in accordance with the strategic guidelines set by the European Council, and it ensures coordination in the Council's activities. The Foreign Affairs Council manages the overall external activities of the EU.

The Council configurations, with the exception of the one on foreign affairs, are presided over by the Member State holding the EU Presidency for the respective six months. The Foreign Affairs Council is chaired by the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. After the Treaty of Lisbon came into force, Baroness Catherine Ashton was appointed High Representative.

When the Council discusses and votes on draft legislation, its sessions are open and are accessible on the Internet.
European Commission
 
The European Commission (EC) is an institution of the EU that is independent of the national governments of the EU Member States in its powers. The EC is the executive body of the EU. Its principal role is to draft proposals for new EU legislation, to monitor the enforcement of the existing legislation, as well as to act as “guardian of the EU Treaties.” This is the institution responsible for the day-to-day work on implementing the EU policies and the financing using EU funds. By defending the interests of Europe as a whole, the Commission monitors the adherence to the EU treaties and laws by the Member States.

The members of the European Commission are appointed for a renewable term of five years. The number of EC members is equal to the number of Member States (27), including the EC President. Mr. José Manuel Barroso is President of the Commission for the second term in succession.

The EC President is elected by the European Parliament with absolute majority of its members based on a proposal submitted by the European Council, which in turn needs to take into account the outcome of the elections for MEPs. The Council, following a general agreement reached with the elected President, adopts the list of other persons proposed for EC members. The EC President, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, and the other EC members are jointly subject to approval by the EP, and when the EP approval is obtained, the European Council appoints the Commission with qualified majority voting.

The European Commission is built on the joint liability principle, i.e., each commissioner participates equitably in the discussion on every issue and all commissioners are equally responsible for the decisions reached. The Commission meets once a week and its sessions are in camera. Its decisions are reached with a simple majority, but the aspirations are to achieve consensus.

The Commission is assisted in its work by an administration consisting of Directorates General (DG) and services, mainly located in Brussels and in Luxembourg.

Court of Justice of the European Union
The Court of Justice of the European Union, with a seat in Luxembourg, has three sub-courts: the European Court of Justice, the General Court and the Civil Service Tribunal.

The mission of the Court of Justice of the European Union is to ensure that the law is observed in the interpretation and enforcement of the Treaties. As a part of that task, the EU Court of Justice controls the legality of the acts of the institutions, ensures that the Member States comply with their obligations under the Treaties, and interprets EU law at the request of national courts and tribunals. In this sense, it constitutes the judicial authority of the EU and, in cooperation with the jurisdictions of the Member States, it monitors the uniform enforcement and interpretation of EU law.

The European Court of Justice consists of one judge from each Member State, assisted by eight Advocates-General. The judges and the Advocates-General are appointed with common accord by the governments of the Member States following consultations with a committee empowered to judge that the candidates possess the qualifications required for their respective functions. They hold office for a renewable term of six years, and are elected among individuals whose independence is beyond doubt and who possess the qualifications required for appointment to the highest judicial offices in their respective countries, or who are of recognised competence.

The Judges of the Court of Justice elect one amongst themselves as President for a renewable term of three years. The President directs the Court's work and chairs the most important hearings and deliberations.

The Advocates-General assist the Court by presenting legal opinions on the cases assigned to them, referred to as “conclusion”, in complete independence and impartiality.

The Court of the European Union is a multilingual institution. Its language regime has no analogue in any other jurisdiction worldwide, because its proceedings can be held in any of the official EU languages.

European Court of Auditors
The European Court of Auditors is an EU institution established under the Treaty to audit the EU finances. Being an external auditor for the EU, it contributes to the better financial management of the EU and acts as independent guardian of the financial interests of the EU citizens.

The Court provides audit services to assess the collection and the spending of the EU financial resources. It checks whether the financial operations have been correctly documented and notified, whether they have been performed in accordance with the law and procedure, and whether they have been managed with a view to cost-effectiveness, efficiency and effectiveness. The Court of Auditors discloses the results of its work by publishing reports. It also provides opinions on issues connected to financial management.

The Court of Auditors promotes accountability and transparency, assisting the European Parliament and Council in the supervision on the implementation of the EU budget, especially for the discharge procedure.

The European Court of Auditors, with a seat in Luxembourg, functions as a college of 27 members, one for each Member State. All audit reports and opinions are endorsed by the College.