ABSTRACT
There is a common website for press releases and calendars for all the European Union (EU) institutions, including those that are tiny and almost completely unknown: the EU's online newsroom. It is a good starting point to get an overview of what is going on in the different EU institutions. The EU TV channel Europe by Satellite (EbS) is also good for keeping track of major events. Many Brussels-based correspondents use the TV schedule as a calendar. The EU institutions represent different aspects of EU cooperation: the commission represents the EU as a whole, the Council of Ministers the EU governments and the European Parliament the people. Many perceive EU decision-making as complicated and a bit mysterious. Often one thinks dealings are secret when they are actually not. A great deal of mystery derives from the simple fact that there is so little media coverage of the legislative process.
