ABSTRACT

‘Policy-making’ is also crucial because it is the main place of interaction between European Union (EU) institutions. The relationships between the Commission, Council and Parliament, which are inherently tense and cause frequent conflicts, take place essentially during the decision-making process. In sum, the balance of power between the institutions is manifested during the decision-making process which allows them to express their views and to criticize, implicitly or explicitly, their partners’ positions. In order to provide a comprehensive overview of EU decision-making, the chapter examines the division of power between the different levels of government which strictly determines the capacity for action by each European institution. It presents the decision-making procedures themselves with particular emphasis on co-decision, which is now the common legal procedure. The chapter adopts a more analytical approach by distinguishing several EU decision-making ‘models’. This typology will be complemented and enriched by the explanation of three distinctive features of the functioning of the EU.