To ensure that the EU can properly fulfill all its tasks, it is structured according to a certain system with many different institutions. We briefly explain what these facilities do and what they mean.
The European Parliament
It took many years for the European Parliament to have as many rights as today. There are currently 751 MPs from 28 nations. In the European elections, they are directly elected by the citizens of the member states and represent around 512 million citizens. The European elections take place every five years. The next election will take place in May 2019.
Each country has an exact number of seats, from Germany there are currently 96 according to Countryaah.com.
Just like in Germany, there are members of parliament in the parliament who belong to different parties. Parties with the same goals you have in fractions summarized. The SPD is, for example, in the fraction of the European Socialist Party, the CDU in the Christian-Democratic fraction.
An important area in the European Parliament are the so-called “standing committees”. There are 20 standing committees that deal with various topics: one of them is the Committee on Culture and Education.
Between 25 and 78 members work on the committees. The parliamentary committees meet once or twice a month in Brussels, the capital of Belgium. The members deal with a topic for many years. This makes them good experts and enables them to work on new guidelines and regulations.
| Country | Upcoming elections | Turnout |
| Albania | Parliamentary elections 2021 | 45 percent in the parliamentary elections in June 2017 |
| Andorra | Parliamentary elections 2023 | 68% in the 2019 parliamentary elections |
| Armenia | parliamentary elections 2023, presidential elections 2025 | 49% in the 2018 parliamentary elections |
| Azerbaijan | presidential election 2025, parliamentary election 2025 | 46.8% in the 2020 parliamentary elections, 74.5% in the 2018 presidential elections |
| Belgium | Parliamentary elections 2024 | 88 percent in the 2019 parliamentary elections |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 2022 | 54 percent in parliamentary and presidential elections 2018 |
| Bulgaria | parliamentary elections 2021, presidential elections 2021 | 52.6% in the 2017 parliamentary elections; 56 + 50% in the two rounds of the 2016 presidential election |
| Cyprus | Parliamentary elections (Greek Cypriots) 2021, parliamentary elections (Turkish Cypriots) 2022, presidential elections (Greek Cypriots) 2023, presidential elections (Turkish Cypriots) 2025 | 66.7 percent in the Greek Cypriots ‘parliamentary elections in 2016, 83 percent and 82 percent in the Greek Cypriots’ presidential election in 2013 (two rounds), 72 percent and 73 percent in the Greek Cypriots ‘presidential election in 2018 (two rounds), 66 percent in the Turkish Cypriots’ parliamentary elections in 2018; 58 percent + 64 percent in the Turkish Cypriots’ presidential election in 2020 |
| Denmark | parliamentary elections by 2023 | 84.5% in the general election (2019) |
| Estonia | Parliamentary elections 2023, Parliament elects President 2021 | 63% in the 2019 parliamentary elections |
| Finland | parliamentary elections 2023, presidential elections 2024 | 72% in the parliamentary elections 2019, 66.7% in the presidential elections 2018 |
| France | presidential and parliamentary elections 2022 | 77/75% in the 1st / 2nd round of the 2017 presidential election, 49/43% in the 1st / 2nd round of the 2017 parliamentary election |
| Georgia | presidential election 2024, parliamentary election 2024 | 56 percent in the first round of parliamentary elections in 2020, 26 percent in the second round 27 |
| Greece | Parliamentary elections 2023 | 57% in the parliamentary elections in July 2019 |
| Ireland | presidential election 2025, parliamentary election 2024 | just under 63% in the parliamentary elections in 2020, just under 44% in the presidential elections in 2018 |
| Iceland | general election 2021, presidential election 2020 | 79% in the 2016 general election, about 76% in the 2016 presidential election, 81% in the 2017 general election |
| Italy | parliamentary elections by 2023, presidential elections 2023 | 72.9% in the 2018 parliamentary elections |
| Kosovo | presidential election (indirectly by parliament) 2021, parliamentary election 2025 | 45 percent in the 2019 parliamentary elections |
| Croatia | parliamentary elections 2024, presidential elections 2025 | 55 percent in the 2020 presidential election, 46 percent in the 2020 parliamentary election |
| Latvia | parliamentary elections 2022, parliament elects president 2023, | 54% in the 2018 parliamentary elections |
| Liechtenstein | Parliamentary elections 2026 | 78% in the 2021 parliamentary elections |
| Lithuania | presidential and parliamentary elections 2024 | just over 47 percent in the first round of the 2020 parliamentary elections; 57 and 53 percent respectively in the two rounds of the presidential election 2019 |
| Luxembourg | Parliamentary elections 2023 | about 90 percent in the 2018 parliamentary elections |
| Northern Macedonia | presidential election 2024, parliamentary election 2024 | 52 percent in the 2020 parliamentary election, 45 percent in the 2019 presidential election |
| Malta | Parliamentary elections 2022, Parliament appoints a new president 2024 | just over 92% in the 2017 parliamentary elections |
| Moldova | parliamentary elections 2023, presidential elections 2024 | 46 and 53 percent respectively in both presidential elections in 2020; 49 percent in the 2019 parliamentary elections |
| Monaco | Parliamentary elections 2023 | 70% in the 2018 parliamentary elections |
| Montenegro | presidential election 2023, parliamentary election 2024 | 77 percent in the 2020 parliamentary election, 64 percent in the 2018 presidential election |
| Netherlands | Parliamentary elections 2021 | 81.9 percent in the 2017 parliamentary election |
| Norway | parliamentary elections 2021 | 78% in the 2013 parliamentary election, 78% in the 2017 parliamentary election |
| Poland | parliamentary elections 2023, presidential elections 2025 | 62% in the 2019 parliamentary elections, 68% in the second round of the 2020 presidential election |
| Portugal | parliamentary elections 2023, presidential elections 2021 | 54.5% in the 2019 parliamentary elections, 49% in the 2016 presidential elections |
| Romania | presidential election 2024, parliamentary election 2024 | 33% in the 2020 parliamentary elections, 50% in the first round of the 2019 presidential elections |
| Russia | parliamentary elections 2021; presidential election 2024 | just over 67% in the 2018 presidential election; just under 48% in the 2016 parliamentary elections |
| San Marino | parliamentary elections by 2024 | 56% in the 2019 parliamentary elections |
| Switzerland | Parliamentary elections 2023 | 45% in the 2019 parliamentary elections |
| Serbia | presidential election 2022, parliamentary election 2024 | 49 percent in the 2020 parliamentary elections |
| Slovakia | parliamentary elections 2024, presidential elections 2024 | 65.8 percent in the parliamentary elections 2020, 59.8 percent in the parliamentary elections 2016, just over 48 and 41 percent respectively in the two presidential elections 2019 |
| Slovenia | parliamentary elections 2022, presidential elections 2022 | 52 percent in the 2018 parliamentary elections |
| Spain | Parliamentary elections 2023 | 75.8% in the parliamentary elections in April 2019, 70% in the parliamentary elections in November 2019 |
| UK | Parliamentary elections 2024 | about 69% in the 2017 parliamentary elections, 67% in the 2019 parliamentary elections |
| Sweden | parliamentary elections 2022 | 87.2 percent in the 2018 parliamentary election |
| Czech Republic | Parliamentary elections 2021, presidential elections 2023 | 60.8% in the 2017 parliamentary elections; 61.9% in the first round of the 2018 presidential election and 66.6% in the second round |
| Turkey | 2023 parliamentary elections, 2023 presidential elections | 87% in the 2018 presidential and parliamentary elections; 85.4% in the 2017 referendum |
| Germany | Parliamentary elections 2021 | 76.2% in the federal election 2017 |
| Ukraine | parliamentary elections 2023, presidential elections 2024 | 62% in the 2019 presidential election, 49.8% in the 2019 parliamentary election |
| Hungary | Parliamentary elections 2022 | 67% in the 2018 parliamentary elections |
| Vatican City State | – | – |
| Belarus | parliamentary elections 2023, presidential elections 2025 | 77% in the 2019 parliamentary elections, 84% in the 2020 presidential elections |
| Austria | parliamentary elections 2024, presidential elections 2022 | 76% in the 2019 parliamentary elections, 73% in the 2016 presidential elections |
European commission
It consists of 28 members. They are called “commissioners”. The governments of the member states propose the commissioners. The European Parliament must agree with the commissioners. You remain a member of the commission for 5 years.
Although the commissioners are appointed by the member countries, they do not act for their country. They should be independent and can only do tasks for the EU.
The Commission proposes the guidelines and regulations to be adopted by the Council of the European Union. Only the Commission can do that. She also determines when and how often she does this. The Commission is careful to ensure that the new guidelines and regulations are properly applied in the member countries.
Council of the European Union
The Council of the EU is voting on new guidelines and regulations so that they can become valid. The Council is the main decision-making body of the EU.
The Council of the European Union consists of ministers. The ministers always come from the member countries. Depending on which directive is currently to be adopted, there are other ministers in the commission.
If, for example, a directive for children and young people is to be adopted today, the ministers for youth are there today. If a directive on car traffic is adopted tomorrow, all transport ministers will come. This ensures that the ministers who know best about the subject always vote on the directive.
The president changes every six months. The president is always the head of government of a member state. When all countries have had their turn, you just have to start all over again. From January to June 2007, German Chancellor Angela Merkel was President of the EU Council.
European Council
Members are the heads of state and government of the member countries. From Germany this is currently Angela Merkel. The European Council sets new goals and tasks to be accomplished in the coming years. The members meet twice a year.
European Court of Justice
The European Court of Justice is the court for the EU. If there is a dispute over the new EU directives and regulations, the judges must settle the dispute. Everything that has been decided here applies to all people in the EU. There is no other court that can change the decision of that court.
European Court of Auditors
Here it is calculated exactly how much money was spent by the EU. The Court of Auditors also checks whether it was allowed to spend the money. However, he may not impose penalties if too much money has been spent.
Europe and the outside world
Access to the sea has always played a big role. The eastern Mediterranean was once seen as the center of the inhabited or civilized world. Here the three continents meet Africa, Asia and Europe, and here were good sea-host connections. The seaways connected the cultural landscapes of valleys and coastal plains. Here, knowledge, skills and important cultural plants found their way from Asia and Africa to Europe. The “known world” was later extended to several of the countries around the Mediterranean and its hive. Gradually, Europe’s centers of power moved to different parts of the continent, and European influence, civilization and exploitation spread in other parts of the world.
Europe was previously ravaged by conquerors from Africa and Asia. As late as 1683, the Turks stopped in front of Vienna. In the 1700s, 1800s and 1900s. Europe sent armies, emigrants and industrial goods to other continents where communities changed or perished. The change in production patterns was often detrimental to the living conditions of the locals. Agriculture shifted from self-sufficiency to production to export; first in Europe, then in the foreign continents that had to supply raw materials for Europe’s factories and food and enjoyment to the people of Europe. Throughout the 1800s and 1900s. Europe’s business community was exposed to ever stronger competition. Many European industrial areas have experienced crises related to business closures and restructuring. It went wrong early in the textile and clothing industry, with cities like Verviers, Norrköping and Manchester hit hard. Later, for example, the machine industry, shipyards, car factories and also the high-tech industrial branches were affected. The successive transformation of European iron and steel production from a myriad of small farms at the raw material sources to large coastal and transport hubs lasted 150 years and is a story in itself. Many cities lost almost all industrial workplaces, and only a few large companies, which produced huge quantities of iron and steel and were able to produce raw materials from around the globe, produced with profits. The successive transformation of European iron and steel production from a myriad of small farms at the raw material sources to large coastal and transport hubs lasted 150 years and is a story in itself. Many cities lost almost all industrial workplaces, and only a few large companies, which produced huge quantities of iron and steel and were able to produce raw materials from around the globe, produced with profits. The successive transformation of European iron and steel production from a myriad of small farms at the raw material sources to large coastal and transport hubs lasted 150 years and is a story in itself. Many cities lost almost all industrial workplaces, and only a few large companies, which produced huge quantities of iron and steel and were able to produce raw materials from around the globe, produced with profits.
Europe accounts for a very large part of the world’s energy consumption, and a large part is covered by imports. Power plants and vast oil refineries at many port cities are scenic testimonies to this. The oil crisis in 1973 accelerated both energy savings and redistribution of energy supply. Renewable energy was supported, and fossil fuels other than oil, along with nuclear power, were preferred in electricity generation. Much of Europe’s oil and coal consumption must continue to be imported, and Russia accounts for considerable parts of European production and of fossil energy reserves, not least natural gas. In several countries, especially France, Belgium and Sweden, nuclear power covers large parts of electricity generation, while Russia, Ukraine and other countries’ nuclear power plants not only have a decisive impact on electricity supply, but also represent a significant environmental risk.
European industry continues to be transformed with major local and regional consequences, negative in the old industrial areas and positive in the new growth regions. Industries in need of research background and skilled labor have grown in importance, but the growing tertiary sector has not been able to employ so much as it outweighs women’s entry into the labor market, immigration and less employment in primary and secondary occupations.
Europe has two major and partially interrelated labor market issues: unemployment and immigration. Unemployment is largely structural and difficult to remedy. Migrations across Europe’s state borders are partly a response to labor demand that started in the 1960s and partly as a result of the globally growing migrations. Immigrants come from both civil war areas in Europe and from the Third World. Some immigrant groups are well integrated and are an immediate benefit to overall employment; other groups are widely referred to as poorly paid jobs or unemployment.
