How European Governance Works: EU, Council of Europe & EEA Explained

Europe has layered governance. Three key structures:

1. European Union (EU) — 27 Members (2024)

Supranational — laws bind members directly.

• Legislative: European Parliament (directly elected, 5 yrs) + Council of the EU (ministers)
• Executive: European Commission (27 Commissioners, 1 per state) — proposes laws, manages budget
• Judicial: Court of Justice (CJEU) — interprets EU law, binds national courts
• Heads of State: European Council (sets agenda, no legislative power)
• Monetary: ECB (Eurozone only)

2. Council of Europe (CoE) — 46 Members

Intergovernmental — conventions, not laws. Focus: human rights, democracy, rule of law.

• ECHR: European Court of Human Rights (Strasbourg) — binds all members
• Venice Commission: Constitutional advice
• All EU states + UK, Turkey, Ukraine, Balkans, etc.

3. European Economic Area (EEA)

EU 27 + Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway = single market (free movement goods, services, capital, people). Switzerland: bilateral treaties instead.

What They're Not

• EU ≠ Europe (geographic)
• CoE ≠ EU (different membership, powers)
• EEA ≠ EU (no CAP, CFP, customs union, tax harmonization)

Together: a unique multi-level governance experiment.