Abstract:

Most EU studies focus on describing what is happening in and through its specific institutions located in Brussels, Luxembourg and Strasbourg: the European Commission, the Council and the Court of Justice of the European Union. Those unfamiliar with the subject should take into account the existence of a completely separate organization, namely the Council of Europe, established in 1949, based in Strasbourg, initially only with Western European members, but currently reuniting 45 members across the continent. It has a classical intergovernmental structure, with the exception of the European Court of Human Rights, which is rather autonomous. However, we should not regard the EU institutions as being in a vacuum. Most of the decision-makers who create and apply EU rules and legislation come from its own Member States. Most of their work takes place as national decision makers, for whom the European dimension is an extension of the political arena, not a separate activity.