The Institutions of the EU

Abstract

As the European Union has grown, so have the powers and the reach of its institutions. Unfortunately, the changes made to the treaties over the years have created a governing structure that is complex, confusing, and still under development. Those changes have come mainly as a response to short-term needs and political compromises, and there is little sense of what the ‘government’ of the EU will eventually become. The treaties of Amsterdam and Nice were to have included major innovations, but they ended up providing little more than some light tinkering, so more changes are inevitable as membership of the EU expands to eastern Europe over the next few years, and as the balance of power among the member states changes.

… the Union must start adapting its institutions and establishing more coherence in its policies so that it is easier to see what it does and what it stands for. p]European Commission White Paper, 2001