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European Parliament
Composition: members of the European Parliament elected by the citizens of the member countries by universal suffrage every five years Functions: mostly legislative, together with the Council of the European Union; controlling the work of the European Commission and approving the EU budget jointly with the Council.
European Council
Composition: heads of state or government of all member states. The President of the European Council is elected every two and a half years Functions: guarantees the continuity of the Councils work and promotes agreement between member states. It also takes decisions about EU policy Seat: Brussels, Belgium.
European Commisssion
Composition: a president (elected by the governments of the European Union in accordance with the election results of the European Parliament) and commissioners (one for each member state). Each commissioner is in charge of a specific area (environment, fishing, etc.) of the European Union. The Treaty of Lisbon created the posts of High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the Commission, responsible for foreign policy and EU defence policy. Functions: presents proposals for new European laws to the European Parliament and Council, controls the implementation of common EU policies and manages the budget. Seat: the main seat is in Brussels
Court of Auditors
Composition: one member from each EU member state Functions: it checks that EU funds are managed and spent correctly Seat: Luxembourg