ABSTRACT
The European Parliament is a supranational institution. A separation of powers and decentralized federalism characterize the political system of the European Union. In fields of community competence, legislative power is shared between the EP and the Council of Ministers, and the Commission exercises executive power. Unlike in most national systems, the executive does not depend on a parliamentary majority, the Parliament exercises its powers independently from executive control by the Commission, and the procedures for selecting both the Parliament and Commission are separate.
