EU Policy

Introduction and overview: EU - What it is and what it does (PDF)

Source: European Union Commission, The European Union: what it is and what it does, Publications Office, 2020, available at Link

Chronology and Member States (PDF: in German)

Source: Europäische Kommission, Vertretung in Deutschland, Die Europäische Union : was ist die EU?, Publications Office, 2020, available at Link

Decision-making

In general, the European Commission puts forward proposals for new legislation, which is then adopted by the Parliament and the Council - or, in certain cases, by the Council alone.

There are several types of regulations, which differ in their application:

A distinction is made between different legal acts:

Legislative acts are decisions adopted under the ordinary or a special legislative procedure.
Delegated acts are non-legislative acts that serve to amend or supplement the non-essential elements of the legislation.
Implementing acts aim to create uniform conditions for the implementation of legislative acts.

Here you can follow the lawmaking procedure of any legislative act - from proposal to signature.

Here you can find futher information on how decisions are made.

Areas of EU action

Three principles determine how and in what areas the EU may act:

conferral
proportionality
subsidiarity

You can find more details here.

More information on the individual areas can be found here.

Agriculture
Audiovisual and media
Budget
Competition
Consumers
Culture
Customs
Development
Digital single market
Economic and monetary affairs
Education, training, youth, sport
Employment and social policy
Energy
Enlargement
Enterprise
Environment and climate change
External relations
External trade
Food safety
Foreign and security policy
Fraud and corruption
Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection
Human Rights
Institutional affairs
Internal market
Justice, freedom and security
Oceans and fisheries
Public health
Regional policy
Research and innovation
Taxation
Transport