European Union - main institutions
The functioning of the EU is supported by the following institutions : video insert: DW - (EN) How the European Union works and why the mechanisms are so complex European Parliament European Council/Council of the European Union The European Commission Court of Justice Court of Auditors ( see Romanian Version ) These institutions collaborate closely with several bodies, namely: Economic and Social Committee Committee of the Regions European Ombudsman European Investment Bank European Central Bank On February 12, 2001, the foreign ministers of the EU member states signed the Treaty of Nice , a document that provides for the reform of European institutions and paves the way for the expansion of the Union by admitting 12 more states. The European Union acts within the limits of the competences and objectives conferred on it by the Treaty. In areas that do not belong to its exclusive competence, the Community only intervenes if and to the extent that the objec...