The European Union was set up in the aftermath of World War II to bring peace, stability and prosperity to Europe. Give your knowledge of the EU and its institutions a quick boost below.
The European Parliament
The European Parliament represents the EU’s citizens. It exercises political supervision over the EU’s activities and decides EU laws and budget together with the Council of Ministers. Members of the European Parliament are directly elected by the EU citizens every five years. Source and illustration: europa.eu
The EU institutions
The Council of the European Union is the EU’s main decision-taking body. The European Parliament shares legislative and budgetary power with the Council of the European Union. The European Commission is the main executive body. It has the right to propose legislation and ensures that EU policies are properly implemented. Source and illustration: europa.eu
The EU countries
A map of the 27 (colored) EU countries (grey countries are candidate countries). About 493 million people live in the EU. Click for a larger version of the map. Source and illustration: europa.eu
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