The Core Institutional Structure

In the previous chapters, we saw that the political system of the EU unfolded through an ongoing process of institution-building. This led to the emergence of a political order based on both supranational dynamics and intergovernmental configurations. In those chapters, however, we did not analyze this institutional structure in great detail. So, in this chapter we will turn our attention to an in-depth analysis of the core institutional structure of the EU, comprising five primary institutions: the Commission, the Council, the European Council, the Parliament, and the Court of Justice. Four of these institutions were established when the European Communities were founded. These four can be seen as forming the solid core of the European polity. This is not to say that these institutions have never altered their structure and performance. On the contrary, they have significantly grown in size, expanded their competences and scope of action, diversified their institutional structure, and improved their efficiency. Despite these changes, their position within the overall institutional structure of the EU has remained stable. In contrast, the fifth institution, the European Council, was an addition that was undertaken much later. Through a gradual process of consolidation, the European Council eventually became formalized in the Treaties. This was a massive change in the structure of the European Union.