WORKSHEET - Lecture IV - THE INSTITUTIONS

I. Answer the following questions:

1. Name the five institutions of the EU and briefly state their role.

 the European Council – sets the goals of the common policies

 the European Commission – makes the proposal for the decisions to be taken
and is mainly responsible for the implementation of the common policies
 the European Parliament
 the Council of Ministers - take the decisions together with the PE
 the Court of Justice – controls the legality of the decisions

2. What is the European Council made up of?

The Heads of state or of governments of the EU and the President of the European
Commission

3. How is information disseminated during the meetings of the European Council?

The proceedings of the European Council are related to the outside world by a system of
note-takers. An official from the Council Secretariat sits in the room and takes notes. Every
quarter of an hour he is replaces and goes out to brief orally the group of persona assistants of
the permanent representatives (called ANTICI) who sit in an area of the building called the
red zone, where the national delegations are not allowed access. Then, the Antici transmit
their notes to their own national delegations, located in another area of the building called the
blue zone.

So information is disseminated indirectly, so that the national delegations should know

something of what is going on, but considerable delay and without the possibility to directly
attribute specific words to any of the participants in the Council.

4. Briefly describe the what happens during the two days of the European Council.

The European Council generally last for 2 days, which unfold as follows:
DAY 1-
1. family photo;
2. address by the President of the EP (custom dating back to the 1980s, highly appreciated
by the EP, without any impact on the proceedings);
3. the full Council meets (lunch included) to debate upon the various items on the
agenda ;
4. in the evening the heads of governments and the foreign ministers usually separate for
dinner;
5. in the course of the evening, a group of officials from the presidency , the Council
Secretariat and the Commission work on draft conclusions, starting from a text prepared

1
well in advance by the Council Secretariat. The text is amended and completed in view of
the first day’s discussions. The final draft must be available in all official languages at
dawn.

DAY 2 –
1. each head of government received the draft conclusions and looks at them over
breakfast, while discussing the specific points with the assistant;
2. the Council convenes again and spends the morning and, if necessary, part of the
afternoon, to finalize then conclusions.;
3. the press conference

5. When was the European Council institutionalized?

It began on an informal basis, as “summit meetings” in the 1960s.

The European Council was fully institutionalized according to article 4 of the Treaty
of Nice. The Treaty of Nice was signed by European leaders on 26 February 2001 and
came into force on 1 February 2003.

6. How many meetings does the European Council have every year?

Treaty of Nice provides that the European Council meets at least twice a year, under
the chairmanship of the Head of State or Government of the MS holding the
Presidency of the Council

7. What don’t the heads of state and government do?

It should be noted that the heads of state or governments do not adopt legal acts
formally binding the MS

8. What does the European Council issue?

The Council issues declarations containing

 guidelines
 and general directives for future Community action.
These declarations have political values, but no legal binding force

9. Name the characteristics of the European Council and briefly describe them.

The European Council is a locus of power which has a number of characteristics:

2
- authority – the European Council brings together political personalities who,
in their national capacity, are ultimate decision-takers. Collectively, they
consider themselves, in the European context, as having a similar task.
Essentially, they come together to take decisions and they expect these
decisions to be respected. That is why the Council conclusions are very
specific in nature. Strictly speaking, the council conclusions are not legally
binding, but they are a sort of soft law which the European Commission and
the EP have to take into account and respect

- informality – the European Council has always attached the highest

importance to the informality of its meetings. It works on the basis of
restricted sessions where the heads of government and the foreign ministers sit
alone, face to face, addressing each other by their first names, the principle at
work being the principle of privacy and direct contact, quite frequently
confrontational.

- Unequal relationships – in the abstract, all heads of governments are equal,

just as their states have equal status in international law. But the European
Council is a locus of power, the fact that some participants have in fact more
power as they represent a bigger country is immediately apparent and
implicitly understood by all. Smaller countries are diffident about the
increasing power of the European Council precisely because they know they
are less well protected at that level than in the institutions governed by legal
rules and strict procedures. The same is true foe the Commission. When
operating in the Council of Ministers, the rights and prerogatives of the
Commission are well defined and protected by the Treaty, but at European
Council level this is not the case.

- Seniority- the balance of power in the European Council in influenced by

seniority, because the number of participants is small and personal relations
important. Heads of governments of smaller MS can expect to exert more
influence after several years of being present, and especially after having led a
successful presidency. (eg. Jean Claude Juncker, Prime Minister of
Luxembourg since 1995 and also Minister of Finance, who exercises
considerable influence, thanks to his personal qualities and also because of his
seniority).

- Ambivalence- viewing the European Council as a locus of power helps

explain its ambivalence in institutional terms. Unlike the other European
institutions, its powers, procedures and decision-making process are not
determined by the Treaty. It deals with whatever problem it wants to deal with,
in the manner it judges the most appropriate. Its role is not clearly defined
anywhere, yet its role is fundamental to the life of the UE. It can live with that

3
 ambivalence, as it is bent on the de facto exercise of power not on legally-
binding decision-making power

10. Name the functions of the European Council and briefly describe them.

The European Council has 5 main functions:

General political guidance and impetus – the task implies the right to launch new
activity fields (in Rome, in December 1975, the European Council decided to initiate
cooperation in the fight against terrorism and organized crime). Basically, the
European Council fixes the agenda of the EU and is the place where strategic
orientation are given. One example of political guidance, in the momentous decision
taken at Copenhagen in December 1993 on enlargement, when accession was offered
to central and eastern European countries, without any public debate (or very little)

Decision-making of last resort – although initially, the European Council was not
supposed to be an ultimate decision-taker, now it has become a kind of court of appeal
for settling problems too complex or too politically sensitive to be resolved at the
level of the Council of Ministers. Thus, European Council meetings have lately come
to be thematic affairs (eg. employment in Luxembourg, justice and home affairs in
Tampere, economic and social policy in Lisbon and Stockholm, etc)

Visibility in external affairs – when acting in its external capacity, the European
Council operates like a “collective head of state”. Over the years, the Council has
approved a number of statements covering events in all parts of the world and
developments in the field of diplomacy. MS have used the European Council to
express common positions on international affairs.

Solemn ratification of significant documents –Each European Council regularly

endorses a series of documents, reports, action plans or contributions. These
documents are submitted to the European Council
 because they have been requested by a previous European Council,
 or because they apply a previous decision of the European Council
 or because the authors (the European Commission, the Council of Ministers,
the Presidency) consider that the respective texts need to be approved at that
level

Negotiation of treaty changes- the European Council is the key forum for
determining treaty reform.

4
 11. What is the Council of the European Union made up of?

ministers for each member state

12. How does the Council of the European Union operate? Name its formations and
define the role of the General Affairs Council as well the role of the Foreign Affairs
Council.

The Council of Ministers operates in several formations, organized by area of activity. Each
formation brings together the relevant minister or ministers for each member state

There are 16 such configurations –

 the Agriculture Council,
 the Ecofin,
 the JHA Council,
 the Social Affairs Council,
 the Environment Council,
 the Transport and Telecommunications Council,
 the Fisheries Council,
 the Industry and Energy Council,
 the Internal Market,
 Consumer Affairs and Tourism Council,
 the Research Council,
 the Budget Council,
 the Culture Council,
 the Development Council,
 the Education and Youth Council,
 the Health Council,
 the General Affairs and External Relations Council.

The General Affairs and External Relations Council ( made up of the foreign ministers) is the
principal Council configuration and holds separate meetings, dealing respectively with:
a) preparation for and follow-up to the European Council, institutional and
administrative matters, horizontal dossiers which affect several of the EU ’s policies
b) the whole of the Union’s external action, namely common foreign and security policy,
foreign trade, development cooperation and humanitarian aid.

13. Describe the voting procedure in the Council of the European Union.

Ministers vote in the Council on the basis of

5
  simple majority,
 qualified majority
 or unanimity, depending the rules governing the respective issue.
Decisions in some policy areas (taxation) and for most questions concerned with the
second and third pillars require unanimity, although things will change once the Treaty of
Lisbon enters into force. Under the qualified majority voting (QMV) procedure, each MS
is allocated a number of votes in approximate relation to its size.

14. Describe the Presidency of the Council of the European Union and its role.

Each MS holds the Presidency for six months in a system of rotation based on an attempt to
avoid two major countries of too many small countries holding it in succession. Nowadays, a
new mechanism operates – the trio, made up of the outgoing presidency, the incumbent
presidency and the incoming presidency. The troika became effective after May 2004, when
former communist states joined the EU. The idea was to have such countries helped by older
member states. For instance, the first former communist country to hold the Presidency was
Slovenia (the former half of 2008), which was preceded by Germany and followed by France.

When chairing the Council meeting, each holder of the Presidency chair has formal
responsibility to seek common ground between MS whose opinions differ, suggesting
compromise solutions,

At the beginning of the six-month term, each holder of the Presidency publishes a program of
legislative priorities, which generally includes some measure which has been held up for
years because no agreement has been found which can unblock it. The selection of the
priorities of each presidency is based on a three-year strategic program adopted by the
European Council, it is not a random choice.

In addition, the Presidency organizes a series of conferences, seminars and other events to
which
 MEPs,
 Commissioners,
 national parlamentarians
 and others are invited to discuss the burning issues of the day.

Each country also takes this opportunity to promote its culture, often by financing visits to
Brussels by artists, writers, theater groups, aso.

The presidency, on behalf of the Council, is accountable to the EP. Before taking office, the
prime minister of the foreign minister of the respective MS presents its presidency program to
the EP, then representatives of the Presidency (generally the ministers concerned by the
legislative acts to be discussed and adopted by the EP) take part in the EP plenary sessions

6
and answer questions addressed by the MEPs. At the end of the 6-month period, the
Presidency sums ups its achievements to the EP.

15. Mention the role of the General Secretariat and the Secretary General.

The Council is assisted by a General Secretariat, consisting of nationals

 representing all the MS,
 separate from their counterparts in the Commission,
 but organized in a similar way.

The Secretariat general is headed by a Secretary General, who is appointed by the Council
acting unanimously. It is generally a diplomat or an experienced politician. The current
incumbent is Javier Solana.
The Treaty of Amsterdan modified the structure of the Secretariat and
 added the role of High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy to
that of the Secretary General (Javier Solana)
 and created the position of Deputy Secretary General who is responsible for the day-
to-day running of the Secretariat. The Deputy is also appointed by the Council acting
unanimously.
The main body of the Secretariat is divided into 9 Directorates-General,
 the largest of which is responsible for administration.
 The other 8 are organized on a functional basis, according to the Councils they
serve,
and the whole structure is served by a horizontal Legal Service.

16. What is COREPER and what does it do?

The Council is also assisted by working parties of national civil servants which examine the
proposal of the Commission and report to the Permanent Representatives Committee
(COREPER), which is responsible for preparing the work of the Council and for carrying out
the tasks assigned to it by the Council. The COREPER sits in 2 parts.
 Coreper Part 1, made up of deputy permanent representatives, examines technical
questions on the whole.
 Coreper Part 2, composed of the Ambassadors themselves, deals with political
questions on the whole.

17. What is the European Commission made up of?

the Commission is composed of 28 Commissioners, who are proposed by the government of

each MS and are appointed, for a period of 5 years, by the Council, acting
 by a qualified majority
 and by common accord with the nominee for President.

7
The Commission is composed of the College of Commissioners of 28 members, including
 the President
 and Vice-Presidents.
The Commissioners, one from each EU country, are the Commission's political
leadership during a 5-year term. Each Commissioner is assigned responsibility for
specific policy areas by the President

18. How are the Commissioners selected and appointed?

Commissioners are proposed by the government of each MS and are appointed, for a period
of 5 years, by the Council, acting
 by a qualified majority
 and by common accord with the nominee for President.

The Heads of State or Government, acting by a qualified majority, nominate the President of
the Commission and the nomination must be approved by the EP.

The President and the Commissioners are subject as a body to a vote of approval by the EP.
The Parliament examines every Commissioner as to his/her ideas and program and may put
forward objections as to his/her suitability for is/her responsibilities inside the Commission,
but may not reject the appointment. Hence, in case of objections put forth by the EP for
certain members of the Commission, the President has the option of
 assigning other responsibilities to the member in question
 or simply ask the proposing MS to make a new proposal so as not to run the risk of
rejection of the body by the EP.

19. What interests do the Commissioners represent?

The Commissioners, despite being nominated by the MS, do not represent the interests of the
MS, but the interests of the Community as a whole. They must not take any form of
instructions from the MS, are supposed to make sure the Treaties are respected, standing
above the national interests which legitimately play themselves in the Council

20. What is the role of the President of the European Commission?

The President of the Commission (since the Treaty of Nice) can take decisions on the
Commission’s internal organization in order to ensure that it acts
 consistently,
 efficiently
 and on the basis of collective responsibility.

8
The President can also choose his Vice-president (although the choice has to be approved by
the rest of the Commissioners also called the COLLEGE of Commissioners) and he can also
sack (ask to resign) the Commissioners.

The President plays a significant role: under the EU Treaties, he defines the policy direction,
assigns portfolios to each of the Commissioners (e.g. internal market, regional policy,
transport, environment, agriculture, trade, etc.) and can, at any time, change the attribution
and or shape of the portfolios.
The College decides on the strategic objectives and on this basis, draws up the annual work
programme.

21. Briefly describe the functions of the European Commission.

THE FUNCTIONS OF THE COMMISSION

1. the power of initiative – it proposes new laws and other measures. Neither the
Council nor the EP has the formal power to propose
 legislative
 or other Community measures,
 including Directives,
 Regulations,
 Recommendations
 and the annual budget.
Decisions on these proposals are taken by
 Council
 and the EP with the codecision procedure
 or, in some cases, by the Council alone, namely by the MS.
In other words, the Commission does not legislate.

2. executive body (administrative role) – the Commission has extensive executive

powers to ensure the attainment of the objectives set out. The Commission
 implements the decisions taken by the legislative bodies (Council and EP),
 manages the Community budget
 as well as the Community Funds
 and the research and technological development programs

3. guardian of the Treaties and of the acquis communautaire-

the Commission is charged with ensuring that the Treaties are
 correctly implemented

9
  and respected by the MS.

For this purpose it has investigative power, which it exercises

 at its own initiative
 or in response to a request from a government
 or a complaint from an individual.
 If, following the investigation, the Commission considers there is infringement of
the Community legislation it invites the State concerned to submit its comments
within a given period of time.
 If the State in question does not comply or if the explanations provided do not
convince the Commission, the latter issues a reasoned opinion to which the MS is
obliged to conform within the prescribed time-limit.
 If the MS fails to conform, the Commission refers the matter to the European Court
of Justice, which arbitrates the dispute and sanctions the irregularity as noted by the
Commission and requires the MS to conform to the Community legal order.

4. representative role – the Commission deals with aspects of foreign relations,

 especially those having to do with trade.
 The Commission negotiates agreements,
 it ensures representatives of the EU in third countries
 and in many international organizations.

22. Briefly describe the services of the Commission.

THE COMMISSION SERVICES

The Commission has two arms –

(1) a political arm = the College of Commissioners
(2) an administrative arm in the form of the Commission services.

The services are organized as Directorates-General the number of which has been constantly
increasing as the Commission has been assigned or acquired increased responsibilities and
tasks, relating to various policy areas. Recruitment to the Commission services has always
been based on open competitions reflecting the principle of merit.

 Directorates- General (DGs) are generally concerned with policy sectors (for
instance, trade or environment)
 while other services are concerned with cross-cutting, horizontal tasks.

Directorates-General
 Communication;

10
  Economic and Financial Affairs;
 Enterprise and Industry;
 Competition;
 Employment,
 Social Affairs and Inclusion;
 Agriculture and Rural Development;
 Energy;
 Mobility and Transport;
 Climate Action;
 Environment;
 Research and Innovation;
 Communications Networks, Content and Technology;
 Maritime Affairs and Fisheries;
 Internal Market and services;
 Regional and Urban Policy;
 Taxation and Customs Union;
 Education and Culture;
 Health and Consumers;
 Home Affairs;
 Justice;
 Trade;
 Enlargement Development and Cooperation - Europe Aid;
 Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection (ECHO);
 Eurostat;
 Human Resources and Security;
 Informatics’;
 Budget;
 Interpretation;
 Translation;

Other Services
 European Anti-Fraud Office;
 Joint Research Center;
 Legal Service;
 Press and Communication;
 Publications Office;
 Secretariat General;
 European Political Strategy Centre;
 Service for Foreign Policy Instruments;
 Office for Infrastructure and Logistics in Brussels;
 Office for the Administration and Payment of Individual Entitlements;
 Office for Infrastructure and Logistics in Luxembourg;
 European Personnel Selection Office;

11
  Staff Committee - Representative Trade Unions and Staff Associations
(administratively attached to DG Human Resoutces)

Services vary considerably in size, depending on the nature of their responsibilities. Most
have between 200 and 500 full-time staff. Services are headed by Directors General who are
supported by senior staff, with the number depending on the size, importance and mission of
the service. The main function of the Director General is
 to oversee the general functioning of his service,
 to be the principal representative in relation to other services and the outside world
 and to be the main line of communication between the service and the Commissioner
responsible for the service.

A DG as well as the other services are divided into Directorates, headed by Directors.
 An average sized DG has between 3 to 6 Directorates,
 while a typical Directorate is divided into units or divisions headed by a head of unit
or division. A Directorate may have between 3 to 6 units.

The Commission employs a wide variety of personnel categories, such as

 permanent staff,
 temporary agents,
 contract agents,
 seconded national experts, etc.

23. How are the MEPs elected?

The European Parliament (EP) is elected by the citizens of the European Union to represent
their interests. Its origins go back to the 1950s and the founding treaties, and since 1979 its
members have been directly elected by the people they represent.
Elections are held every five years, and every EU citizen is entitled to vote, and to stand as a

24. Define the political groups which sit in the EP.

The Eight Europe-wide political groups

1. Group of the European People's Party (Christian Democrats) EPP
2. Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the
European Parliament S&D
3. Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe ALDE
4. Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance Greens/EFA
5. European Conservatives and Reformists Group ECR

12
 6. Confederal Group of the European United Left - Nordic Green Left GUE/
NGL
7. Europe of Freedom and Democracy Group EFD
8. Non-attached NA

25. How many places of work does the EP have?

The European Parliament has three places of work:

 Brussels (Belgium), - Committee meetings, plenary sessions’
 Luxembourg - administrative offices (the ‘General Secretariat’
 and Strasbourg (France). - Meetings of the whole Parliament, (‘plenary sessions’)
Luxembourg is home to the administrative offices (the ‘General Secretariat’). Meetings of the
whole Parliament, known as ‘plenary sessions’, take place in Strasbourg and sometimes in
Brussels. Committee meetings are also held in Brussels.
26. Define the roles of the EP.

Parliament has three main roles:

1. Passing European laws – jointly with the Council in many policy areas. The fact that
the EP is directly elected by the citizens helps guarantee the democratic legitimacy of
European law.
2. Parliament exercises democratic supervision over the other EU institutions, and in
particular the Commission. It has the power to approve or reject the nomination of
commissioners, and it has the right to censure the Commission as a whole.
3. The power of the purse. Parliament shares with the Council authority over the EU
budget and can therefore influence EU spending. At the end of the procedure, it
adopts or rejects the budget in its entirety.

More info:
1. Passing European laws
The most common procedure for adopting (i.e. passing) EU legislation is ‘codecision’. This procedure
places the European Parliament and the Council on an equal footing and it applies to legislation in a
wide range of fields.

In some fields (for example agriculture, economic policy, visas and immigration), the Council alone
legislates, but it has to consult Parliament. In addition, Parliament’s assent is required for certain
important decisions, such as allowing new countries to join the EU.

Parliament also provides impetus for new legislation by

 examining the Commission’s annual work programme,

13
  considering what new laws would be appropriate

 and asking the Commission to put forward proposals.

2. Democratic supervision

Parliament exercises democratic supervision over the other European institutions. It does so in several
ways.

Over the Commission;

When a new Commission takes office, its members are nominated by the EU member state
governments but they cannot be appointed without Parliament’s approval.

 Parliament interviews each of them individually, including the prospective Commission

President,

 and then votes on whether to approve the Commission as a whole.

Throughout its term of office, the Commission remains politically accountable to Parliament, which
can pass a ‘motion of censure’ calling for the Commission’s mass resignation.

More generally, Parliament exercises control by regularly examining reports sent to it by the
Commission (the annual general report, reports on the implementation of the budget, etc.). Moreover,
MEPs regularly ask the Commission questions which the commissioners are legally required to
answer.

Over the Council:

Parliament also monitors the work of the Council:

 MEPs regularly ask the Council questions,

 and the President of the Council attends the EP’s plenary sessions and takes part in important
debates.

Parliament can exercise further democratic control by examining petitions from citizens and setting up
committees of inquiry.

Finally, Parliament provides input to every EU summit (the European Council meetings). At the
opening of each summit, the President of Parliament is invited to express Parliament's views and
concerns about topical issues and the items on the European Council's agenda.

3. The power of the purse

The EU’s annual budget is decided jointly by

 Parliament

 and the Council.

Parliament debates it in two successive readings, and the budget does not come into force until it
has been signed by the President of Parliament.

Parliament's Committee on Budgetary Control (COCOBU) monitors how the budget is spent, and
each year Parliament decides whether to approve the Commission’s handling of the budget for the
previous financial year. This approval process is technically known as ‘granting a discharge’.

14
Parliament's work is divided into two main stages:
 Preparing for the plenary session. This is done by the MEPs in the various
parliamentary committees that specialise in particular areas of EU activity. The issues
for debate are also discussed by the political groups.
 The plenary session itself. Plenary sessions are normally held in Strasbourg (one
week per month) and sometimes in Brussels (two days only). At these sessions,
Parliament examines proposed legislation and votes on amendments before coming to
a decision on the text as a whole.
Other items on the agenda may include
 Council or Commission ‘communications’
 or questions about what is going on in the European Union
 or the wider world.

27. Briefly describe the codecision procedure.

The most common procedure for adopting (i.e. passing) EU legislation is ‘codecision’. This procedure
places the European Parliament and the Council on an equal footing and it applies to legislation in a
wide range of fields.

The CODECISION procedure

VARIANT A –
1. Proposal sent from Commission to the EP and the Council;
2. Parliament first reading – no EP amendments;
3. Council first reading – the Council may adopt the text without modifying it
VARIANT B –
1. Proposal sent from Commission to the EP and the Council;
2. Parliament first reading – EP amendments;
3. Commission opinion on EP amendments;
4. Council first reading – Council approves all amendments and may adopt the act
VARIANT C –
1. Proposal sent from Commission to the EP and the Council;
2. Parliament first reading – EP amendments;
3. Commission opinion on EP amendments;

15
 4. Council first reading – Council does not approve all the amendments and adopt a
common position;
5. Commission opinion on the common position;
6. PE second reading (deadline 3+1 months);
7. PE approves the common position or does not take a decision, then the act is deemed
to have been adopted.
VARIANT D –
1. Proposal sent from Commission to the EP and the Council;
2. Parliament first reading – EP amendments;
3. Commission opinion on EP amendments;
4. Council first reading – Council does not approve all the amendments and adopt a
common position;
5. Commission opinion on the common position;
6. PE second reading (deadline 3+1 months);
7. PE rejects the common position (absolute majority of members), then the act is
deemed not to have been adopted.
VARIANT E –
1. Proposal sent from Commission to the EP and the Council;
2. Parliament first reading – EP amendments;
3. Commission opinion on EP amendments;
4. Council first reading – Council does not approve all the amendments and adopt a
common position;
5. Commission opinion on the common position;
6. PE adopts amendments to the common position (absolute majority of members);
7. Commission opinion on EP amendments;
8. Council second reading (deadline 3+1 months) ;
9. Council approves PE amendments and the act is approved as amended.

VARIANT F –
1. Proposal sent from Commission to the EP and the Council;
2. Parliament first reading – EP amendments;

16
 3. Commission opinion on EP amendments;
4. Council first reading – Council does not approve all the amendments and adopt a
common position;
5. Commission opinion on the common position;
6. PE adopts amendments to the common position (absolute majority of members);
7. Commission opinion on EP amendments;
8. Council second reading (deadline 3+1 months) ;
9. Council does not approve PE amendments;
10. Conciliation Committee is convened within a period of 6+2 weeks and has a further
6+2 weeks to reach agreement;
11. successful conclusion to conciliation;
12. within a period of 6+2 weeks, approval of the joint text by EP (majority vote cast) and
Council (QMV)
VARIANT G-
1. Proposal sent from Commission to the EP and the Council;
2. Parliament first reading – EP amendments;
3. Commission opinion on EP amendments;
4. Council first reading – Council does not approve all the amendments and adopt a
common position;
5. Commission opinion on the common position;
6. PE adopts amendments to the common position (absolute majority of members);
7. Commission opinion on EP amendments;
8. Council second reading (deadline 3+1 months) ;
9. Council does not approve PE amendments;
10. Conciliation Committee is convened within a period of 6+2 weeks and has a further
6+2 weeks to reach agreement;
11. unsuccessful conclusion to conciliation;
12. the act is not adopted.

28. When was the European Court of Justice set up? Where is it based?

17
The Court of Justice of the European Communities (often referred to simply as ‘the Court’)
was set up under the ECSC Treaty in 1952. It is based in Luxembourg

29. Briefly describe the organization of the Court.

The Court is composed of one judge per member state, so that all 27 of the EU’s national
legal systems are represented.
 For the sake of efficiency, however, the Court rarely sits as the full court.
 It usually sits as a ‘Grand Chamber’ of just 13 judges or in chambers of five or three
judges.
The Court is assisted by eight ‘advocates-general’. Their role is to present reasoned opinions
on the cases brought before the Court. They must do so publicly and impartially.
The judges and advocates-general
 are people whose impartiality is beyond doubt.
 They have the qualifications or competence needed for appointment to the highest
judicial positions in their home countries.
 They are appointed to the Court of Justice by joint agreement between the
governments of the EU member states.
 Each is appointed for a term of six years, which may be renewed.

A ‘Court of First Instance’ was created in 1988

 To help the Court of Justice cope with the large number of cases brought before it,
 and to offer citizens better legal protection,
This Court (which is attached to the Court of Justice) is responsible for giving rulings on
certain kinds of case,
 particularly actions brought by private individuals,
 companies
 and some organisations,
 and cases relating to competition law.
This court also has one judge from each EU country.

The European Union Civil Service Tribunal adjudicates in disputes between the European
Union and its civil service. This tribunal is composed of seven judges and is attached to the
Court of First Instance.

18
Presidency
 The Court of Justice,
 the Court of First Instance
 and the Civil Service Tribunal
each have a president chosen by their fellow judges to serve for a renewable term of three
years.

30. Briefly describe the most common types of cases appearing in front of the Court.

TYPES OF CASES
The Court gives rulings on cases brought before it. The five most common types of case are:
1. references for a preliminary ruling;
2. actions for failure to fulfill an obligation;
3. actions for annulment;
4. actions for failure to act;
5. actions for damages.
1. The preliminary ruling procedure
The national courts in each EU country are responsible for ensuring that EU law is properly
applied in that country. But there is a risk that courts in different countries might interpret EU
law in different ways.
To prevent this happening, there is a ‘preliminary ruling procedure’. This means that if a
national court is in any doubt about the interpretation or validity of an EU law it may, and
sometimes must, ask the Court of Justice for advice. This advice is given in the form of a
‘preliminary ruling’.
2. Proceedings for failure to fulfill an obligation
 The Commission can start these proceedings if it has reason to believe that a member
state is failing to fulfill its obligations under EU law.
 These proceedings may also be started by another EU country.
In either case, the Court investigates the allegations and gives its judgment.
 The accused member state, if it is indeed found to be at fault, must set things right at
once.
 If the Court finds that the member state has not complied with its judgment, it may
impose a fine on that country.

19
3. Actions for annulment
If
 any of the member states,
 the Council,
 the Commission
 or (under certain conditions) Parliament
believes that a particular EU law is illegal they may ask the Court to annul it.
 These ‘actions for annulment’ can also be used by private individuals who want the
Court to cancel a particular law because it directly and adversely affects them as
individuals.

If the Court finds that the law in question

 was not correctly adopted
 or is not correctly based on the Treaties,
it may declare the law null and void.

4. Actions for failure to act

The Treaty requires
 the European Parliament,
 the Council
 and the Commission
to make certain decisions under certain circumstances.
If they fail to do so,
 the member states,
 the other Community institutions
 and (under certain conditions) individuals
 or companies
can lodge a complaint with the Court so as to have this failure to act officially recorded.
5. Actions for damages

20
Any person or company who has suffered damage as a result of the action or inaction of the
Community or its staff may bring an action seeking compensation before the Court of First
Instance.
Cases are submitted to the registry and
 a specific judge
 and advocate-general
are assigned to each case.
The procedure that follows is in two stages:
 first a written
 and then an oral phase.

 At the first stage, all the parties involved submit written statements and the judge
assigned to the case draws up a report summarising these statements and the legal
background to the case.
 Then comes the second stage – the public hearing. Depending on the importance and
complexity of the case, this hearing can take place before
 a chamber of three,
 five or
 13 judges,
 or before the full Court.

At the hearing, the parties’ lawyers put their case before the judges and the advocate-general,
who can question them.
 The advocate-general then gives his or her opinion, after which the judges deliberate
and deliver their judgment.
 Since 2003, advocates general are required to give an opinion on a case only if the
Court considers that this particular case raises a new point of law.
 Nor does the Court necessarily follow the advocate-general’s opinion.
Judgments of the Court are decided by a majority and pronounced at a public hearing.
Dissenting opinions are not expressed. Decisions are published on the day of delivery.
The procedure in the Court of First Instance is similar, except that there is no opinion from an
advocate-general.

21
31. Provide a brief description of the European Central Bank.

1. The European Central Bank - created by the Treaty of Maastricht. The ECB is made up
of three separate, but closely linked decision-making bodies.

a) The first and the most important is the Executive Body, which consists of
o the ECB President,
o its Vice-President
o and 4 Board Members.

The Executive Body is responsible for

o the day-to-day management of the monetary policy,
o implementing decision made by the second body, namely the Governing Council
o and issuing specific instruction to the national banks.

The 6 members of the Executive Board are appointed by common accord of the
governments of the MS at the level of heads of state or governments,
o on a recommendation by the Council
o or after consultation with the Council and the Parliament.

 The President is elected for a term of 8 years,

 the Vice-President for a term of 4 years
 and the remaining members for terms between 5 and 8 years.
The terms of office for the Executive Board members are not renewable.

b) The Governing Council is composed of

o the Governors of the central banks of the MS belonging to the eurozone
o and the members of the Executive Board.

The Governing Council is responsible for

 formulating the monetary policy
 and adopting guidelines for its implementation.

 Neither the ECB

 nor a national central bank
 nor any member of their decision-making bodies
may seek or take instructions
o from Community bodies,
o from any government of the MS
o or any other body.
The ECB has the exclusive right to authorize the issue of banknotes within the
Community’s eurozone.

22
 c) The General Council – comprises
o the president,
o the vice-president
o and governors of all the EU national central banks,
o including those not participating in the eurozone.

Practically speaking, it has a very limited practical role and the members not participating in
the euro are effectively shut out of policy-making

32. Provide a brief description of the European Court of Auditors.

2. The European Court of Auditors-

The Court of Auditors was set up in 1975. It is based in Luxembourg. The Court’s job is to
check that EU funds, which come from the taxpayers,
o are properly collected

o and that they are spent legally,

o economically

o and for the intended purpose.

o Its aim is to ensure that the taxpayers get maximum value for their money,

o and it has the right to audit any person or organisation handling EU funds.

The Court has one member from each EU country, appointed by the Council for a renewable
term of six years. The members elect one of their number as President for a renewable term
of three years.
The Court’s main role is to check that

o the EU budget is correctly implemented – in other words,

o that EU income and expenditure is legal and above board

o and to ensure sound financial management.

o So its work helps guarantee that the EU system operates efficiently and openly.

To carry out its tasks, the Court investigates the paperwork of

o any person

o or organisation handling EU income or expenditure.

23
It frequently carries out on-the-spot checks. Its findings are written up in reports which bring
any problems to the attention of
o the Commission

o and EU member state governments.

To do its job effectively, the Court of Auditors must remain completely independent of the
other institutions but at the same time stay in constant touch with them.

One of its key functions is to help the European Parliament and the Council by presenting
them every year with an audit report on the previous financial year.
Parliament examines the Court’s report in detail before deciding whether or not to approve
the Commission’s handling of the budget.
If satisfied, the Court of Auditors also sends the Council and Parliament a statement of
assurance that European taxpayers' money has been properly used.

Finally, the Court of Auditors gives its opinion on proposals for

o EU financial legislation

o and for EU action to fight fraud.

The Court of Auditors has approximately 800 staff, including

o translators

o and administrators

o as well as auditors. The auditors are divided into ‘audit groups’. They prepare draft
reports on which the Court takes decisions.
The auditors frequently go on tours of inspection to
o the other EU institutions,

o the member states

o and any country that receives aid from the EU.

Indeed, although the Court's work largely concerns money for which the Commission is
responsible, in practice 80% of this income and expenditure is managed by the national
authorities.
The Court of Auditors has no legal powers of its own. If auditors discover fraud or
irregularities they inform OLAF – the European Anti-Fraud Office.
.

24
33. Provide a brief description of the European Economic and Social Committee.

3. The European Economic and Social Committee

Founded in 1957 under the Treaty of Rome, the European Economic and Social Committee
(EESC) is an advisory body representing
o employers,

o trade unions,

o farmers,

o consumers

o and the other interest groups that collectively make up ‘organised civil society’.

It presents their views and defends their interests in policy discussions with
o the Commission,

o the Council

o and the European Parliament.

So the EESC is a bridge between the Union and its citizens, promoting a more participatory,
more inclusive and therefore more democratic society in Europe.
The Committee is an integral part of the EU’s decision-making process: it must be consulted
before decisions are taken on economic and social policy. On its own initiative, or at the
request of another EU institution, it may also give its opinion on other matters.
The EESC has 344 members – the number from each EU country roughly reflecting the size
of its population. The members are nominated by the EU governments but they work in
complete political independence. They are appointed for four years, and may be re-appointed.
The Committee meets in Plenary Assembly, and its discussions are prepared by six
subcommittees known as ‘sections’, each dealing with particular policy areas.
It elects its
o President

o and two Vice-Presidents

for a two-year term

The European Economic and Social Committee has three main roles:
 to advise the Council, Commission and European Parliament, either at their request or
on the Committee’s own initiative;

25
  to encourage civil society to become more involved in EU policymaking;
 to bolster the role of civil society in non-EU countries and to help set up advisory
structures.
Working mostly in their countries of origin, the members of the Committee form three groups
that represent
o employers,

o workers

o and various economic and social interests.

1. The Employers' Group has members from

 private and public sectors of industry,
 small and medium-sized businesses,
 chambers of commerce,
 wholesale and retail trade,
 banking and insurance,
 transport and agriculture.
2. The Workers’ Group represents all categories of employees, from manual to executive. Its
members come from national trade union organisations.
3. The third group represents a wide range of interests:
 NGOs,
 farmers' organisations,
 small businesses,
 crafts and professions,
 cooperatives and non-profit associations,
 consumer and environmental organisations,
 the scientific and academic communities
 and associations that represent the family, women, persons with disabilities, etc.

34. Provide a brief description of the Committee of the Regions

4. The Committee of the Regions

26
Set up in 1994 under the Treaty on European Union, the Committee of the Regions (CoR) is
an advisory body composed of representatives of Europe’s
 regional
 and local authorities.
The CoR has to be consulted before EU decisions are taken on matters such as
 regional policy,
 the environment,
 education and transport – all of which concern local and regional government.
The Committee has 344 members. The number from each member state approximately
reflects its population size.
The members of the Committee are elected municipal or regional politicians, often leaders of
regional governments or mayors of cities.
They are nominated by the EU governments but they work in complete political
independence. The Council of the European Union appoints them for four years, and they
may be reappointed. They must also
 have a mandate from the authorities they represent,
 or must be politically accountable to them.
The Committee of the Regions chooses a President from among its members, for a term of
two years.
The role of the Committee of the Regions is to put forward the local and regional points of
view on EU legislation. It does so by issuing opinions on Commission proposals.
The Commission and the Council
 must consult the Committee of the Regions on topics of direct relevance to local and
regional authorities,
 but they can also consult the Committee whenever they wish.
For its part, the Committee can adopt opinions on its own initiative and present them to
the Commission, Council and Parliament.

II. Provide the Romanian equivalents of the following English terms; use the English
terms to fill in the blanks in the sentences below; translate these sentences into
Romanian:
foreign policy, criminal law;; supranational institution; fundamental common policies;
secondary common policies, EU guidelines; legal acts; organ(s) ; governance; heads of
state; head of government; minister of foreign affairs/foreign ministers; finance
27
ministers; note-takers; ANTICI; State of the Union address; Council conclusions, draft
conclusions; to convene; political guidelines of the Community ; locus of power; soft
law; hard law; equal status in international law; seniority, de facto; de jure; legally-
binding decision; non-legally-binding decision; general political guidance and impetus;
strategic orientation; decision-maker of last resort; “collective head of state”; solemn
ratification of significant documents; negotiation of treaty changes; treaty reform;
Chancellor of the Exchequer. .

foreign policy politica externa

criminal law drept penal
taxation impozitare/ fiscalitate
supranational institution insitutie supranationala
fundamental common policies politici comune fundamentale
secondary common policies politici comune secundare
EU guidelines orientari strategice ale EU
legal acts acte juridice, instrumente juridice
organ(s) organe
ex : organ de presa , scanteia (mijloc de propaganda) - press organ of the communist party
governance guvernanta
heads of state sefi de stat

head of government sefi de guvern

minister of foreign affairs/foreign ministers ministrul de externe/ afacerilor externe (UK-
foreign secretary , ministru – foreign office vs home office / home secretary )
finance ministers ministru de finante
note-takers functionari ai secretariatului care iau notite, nu sunt chiar secretari
ANTICI antici
State of the Union address discurs despre starea uniunii europene
Council conclusions concluziile consiliului
draft conclusions proiect de concluzie
to convene a convoca
political guidelines of the Community orientari generale ale politicii comunitare
locus of power; centrul de putere
soft law; lege fara character obligatoriu / instrumente juridice cvasiobligatorii
hard law; - instrumente juridicie cu forta juridical obligatorie, cu character obligatori,
instrumente juridice obligatorii
equal status in international law; statut egal conform dreptului international
seniority, vechime
de facto; (in fapt)\
de jure; (in drept)
legally-binding decision; - decizie oblgiatorie
non-legally-binding decision; - decizie neobligatoire/ fara forta juridical obligatorie
general political guidance and impetus; - orientare / indrumare / impuls/ stimulare politica
generala – EU Council
strategic orientation; - orientare strategica
decision-maker of last resort; - factor de decizie de ultima instanta (consiliul European)
“collective head of state”; sef de stat colectiv (consiliul European)
solemn ratification of significant documents; - ratificare solemna a documentelor
importante (cum ar fi tratatul de aderare al unui stat)
negotiation of treaty changes; negociere privind modificarile aduse tratatelor

28
treaty reform; reformare a tratatului
Chancellor of the Exchequer. . ministru de finante in marea britanie

1. During each of its meetings the European Council adopts Council conclusions which
are used to identify specific issues of concern for the EU and outline particular actions
to take or goals to reach.

La fiecare reuniune/ sedinta a sa, Consiliului European adoptă concluzii ale Consiliului, care
servesc la identificare unor problemele specifice de interes politic comunitar / chestiunile
care preocupa uniunea europeana și sa contureze actiunile specifice / masurile specific care
trebuie luate sau obiectivele care trebuie atinse
descriu în linii mari acţiuni specifice care urmează a fi întreprinse sau o serie de obiective
(clare) de atins

2. The Chancellor of the Exchequer is a political office in the United Kingdom,

responsible for Britain's money and economy. In other countries the job is called
Minister of the Treasury or of Finance.

Ministrul Finanțelor este o functie politica în Marea Britanie, care se ocupa de fondurile /
finantele și economia Marii Britanii. În alte țări aceasta functie este numita ministrul
Trezoreriei sau al Finanțelor.

3. This is how our Founding Fathers intended our nation to behave: To try to achieve our
foreign policy aims through negotiation and, if that failed, through economic
sanctions.
Iata in ce mod s-au gandit parintii fondatori ca trebuie sa se comporte poporul/ natiunea
noastra
Acesta este modul în care /
Părinții nostri fondatori intenționau ca aceasta națiune să se comporte astfel: Sa încerce să
atinga obiectivele politicii externe prin negociere, si daca esueaza, prin sanctiuni economie
sau, dacă este cazul, prin sancțiuni economice/ de natură economică .

4. The Federal Council is the seven-member executive council which constitutes the
federal government of Switzerland and serves as the “collective head of state”
and government of Switzerland.

Consiliul Federal este consiliul executiv format din șapte membri, care constituie guvernul
federal al Elveției și indeplineste functia de sef de stat colectiv si de guvern al elvetiei /
servește drept "șeful de stat colectiv" și Guvernul Elveției.

5. Nothing is permitted to escape taxation, and duplicated taxes on the same thing are
frequent.

29
 Nimic nu ramane neimpozitat/ nefiscalizat, iar taxarea dubla a aceluiasi obiect /
fenomen/ aspect este frecventa
Eludarea impozitarii, /eschivarea de la plata impozitelor este interzisa, iar multe bunuri sunt
supuse unei duble impozitari / fac obiectul unei duble impozitări / contribuabilii sunt supuși
unei duble impozitări,

6. The governor sends a message at the beginning of each session of the legislature, and
may convene the houses in extraordinary session when he deems it necessary

Guvernatorul trimite un mesaj la începutul fiecărei sesiuni a legislativului, și poate convoca

camerele în sesiuni extraordinare atunci când consideră că este necesar

7. When the decision made by a 3rd party or a court (a judge) is obligatory, you will
have to follow it because it is a legally-binding decision.

In cazul in care / Cand decizia luată de către o terta parte sau de o instanța (un judecător) este
obligatorie, aceasta va trebui respectata, pentru că este o decizie obligatorie din punct de
vedere juridic.

8. The generic term used for either the highest or second highest official in the executive
branch of a sovereign state who often presides over a cabinet is head of government.

Termenul generic care il desemneasza cel mai inalt oficial, sau pe al doilea cel mai înalt al /
organului/ executiv dintr-un stat suveran, care conduce deseori cabinetul, este de șeful
guvernului. / de guvern

9. Whenever negotiation of treaty changes/ treaty reforms are necessary, the

negotiations are carried out by duly accredited representatives of the executive branch
of the government; for instance, in the United States the process is ordinarily
conducted by officials of the Deptartment of State under the authority of the
President.

Ori de cate ori este necesar sa se negocieze modificarea tratatelor, negocierile sunt realizate/
desfasurate/ se desfasoara sub conducerea / de către reprezentanții acreditați în mod
corespunzător/ in conformitate cu legea, din ramura executivă a guvernului; de exemplu, în
Statele Unite, procedura/ procesul este efectuata în mod obișnuit de către funcționari ai
Deptartment de stat, sub indrumarea / autoritatea președintelui.

10. Iraq’s high tribunal sentences the former Iraqi minister of foreign affairs?? Tareq
Aziz (Saddam’s minister of foreign affairs /) to death, while his lawyer said the
sentence was unfair and excessive.

Înaltului Tribunal Irakian l-a condamnat pe fostul ministru de externe irakian Tareq Aziz
(ministrul de externe ai lui Saddam) la moarte, desi avocatul său a declarat că sentința a fost
nedreaptă și excesivă.

11. Criminal law is the body of law that relates to and regulates social conduct and
proscribes whatever is threatening, harmful, or otherwise endangering to the property,
health, safety, and moral welfare of people.

30
Dreptul penal este corpul de legi/ corpusul de legi / legislatia care se referă la și
reglementează comportamentul social și scoate in afara legii … pericol la adresa
proscrie/ interzice tot ceea ce este periculos, dăunător, sau pune altminteri în pericol
proprietatea, sănătatea, siguranța și bunăstarea morală a oamenilor.

12. Despite the fact that the European Council It does not exercise legislative functions, it
provides the Union with the necessary general political guidance and impetus for its
development and also defines the general priorities.

desi
În ciuda faptului că nu exercită funcții legislative, Consiliul European
Asigura indrumarea si stimularea poltiicia generala necesara pt dezv uniunii
impulsurile și orientările politice generale pentru dezvoltarea UE/
asigură orientarea politică generala necesara si impulsul pentru dezvoltarea UE,
si stabileste de asemenea, priorităților generale ale acesteia.

13. in international law where there are no sovereign governing bodies, hard law refers to
actual binding legal instruments and laws which give States and international actors
actual binding responsibilities as well as rights.

în dreptul internațional, cand nu există organe/ inst guver de conducere suverane, legea
efectiva / sintrum juridic oblig? se referă la instrumentele juridice si legi obligatorii reale,
care asigura statelor si actantilor internationali/ institutiilor international ( nu se refera la
persoane)
atribuie statelor și actorilor internaționali responsabilități obligatorii reale, precum și drepturi.

14. The ANTICI group is made up of ambassadors’ (permanent representatives -

embassy of the …) assistants, a top European Commission official, a member of the
private office of the head of the Council of Ministers’ secretariat and a member of the
Council’s legal service. It is a powerful body which prepares some of the Union’s
most politically sensitive meetings.

Grupul ANTICI este alcătuit din asistenții ambasadorilor, un înalt repreze funcționar al
Comisiei Europene, un membru al cabinetul președintelui /șeful secretariatului Consiliului de
miniștri, si un membru al serviciului juridic al Consiliului. Este o institutie puternic, care
pregătește unele dintre cele mai delicate / complexe
cele mai delicate reuniuni ale Uniunii din punct de vedere politic.

15. In terms of asylum and immigration the European Council established the
Strategc orientation EU guidelines/ political guidelines of the Community, while
underlining the need for efficient and well-managed migration, asylum and border
policy, guided by solidarity and fair sharing of responsibility.

În ceea ce privește azilul și imigratia, Consiliul European a stabilit orientari strategice

orientările UE / orientările politice ale Comunității, subliniind totodată necesitatea/ nevoia
unei politici in materie de migrație, azil și frontiere eficiente și bine gestionata , care se
bazeza/ respectand principiul solidarității și al distribuirii echitabile a răspunderii între statele
membre

31
 16. It took a very long time for a supranational institution to materialize in Europe
under the form of the European Coal and Steel Community’s High Authority, which
was the European Commission’s predecessor.

A fost nevoie de un timp indelungat pentru o instituție supranațională să se concretizeze /

materializeze în Europa sub forma Înaltei Autoritati a Comunității Europene a Cărbunelui și
Oțelului, predecesoarea Comisiei Europene.

17. A legislative act, that is a formal written enactment produced by a legislature, is called
legal act.

Un act legislativ, mai exact/ adica un act normativ/masura scris oficial/ formal
redactat elaborata de un organ legislativ, se numește act juridic.

18. The European Council is a key institution of the European Union which takes nearly
all major decisions for the EU and which has a number of fundamental features,
among which the indefinable locus of power.

Consiliul European este o instituție-cheie a Uniunii Europene, care ia aproape toate deciziile
majore ale UE și care are o serie de caracteristici fundamentale, printre care
Inefabilul centru de putere
și centrul de putere nedefinit/ care nu poate fi definit ??

19. The European Council is one of the 7 EU institutions, whose main role is to determine
the political guidelines of the community strategic orientation, - essentially setting
the policy agenda for the EU.
(determine the EU's general political direction and priorities)

Consiliul European este una dintre cele 7 instituții ale UE, al cărui rol principal este de a
stabili
Orientarile politice comunitare, - in esenta / practic stabilind agenda politică a UE.

20. This committee will be the chief organ of the administration.

Acest comitet/ comisie va fi organul principal al administrației.

21. The two archbishops and the bishops of London, Durham and Winchester - always sit,
the others taking their seats in order of seniority of consecration.

Cei doi arhiepiscopi și episcopii de Londra, Durham și Winchester - intotdeauna stau jos, iar
ceilalți isi ocupa locurile in functie de vechimea hirotoniei

22. The term soft law refers to quasi-legal instruments which do not have any legally
binding force, or whose binding force is somewhat "weaker" than the binding force of
traditional law.

Termenul de instrumente juridice neobligatorii/ măsuri fără caracter obligatoriu/

instrumentele legislative fără caracter obligatoriu
Intrumsnet juridic fara caracter obligatori

32
 se referă la instrumentele cvasi-juridice, care nu au nici o forță juridică obligatorie, sau a
căror forță juridica este oarecum/ ceva "mai slaba" decât cele cu caracter obligatoriul ale
legilor obsinuite

23. One of the almost constant features of the European Union has become treaty reform
equal status in international law, which lately has come to involve not only the
representatives as the only significant actors in this process, but also the European
Commission.

Una dintre caracteristicile/ trasaturi aproape constante ale Uniunii Europene a devenit
modificarea tratatelor statutul sau egal în dreptul internațional, care în ultimul timp a ajuns să
implice nu doar reprezentanții drept cei mai importanit actori în acest proces, ci si Comisia
Europeană.

24. The City Corporation exercises a control over the majority of the London markets,
which dates from the close of the 14th century, when dealers were placed under
the governance of the mayor and aldermen.

City Corporation exercită un control asupra majorității piețelor din Londra, care datează de la
sfârșitul secolului al 14-lea, cand comerciantii distribuitorii erau / au fost plasati sub
autoritatea / conducerea primarului si a consilierior comunali;

25. Nevertheless Queen Elizabeth I, on succeeding to the English throne, was disposed to
come to terms with Shane, who after his father's death was the de facto chief of the
formidable O'Neill clan.
Cu toate acestea, totusi/ regina Elisabeta I, dup ace a urcat pe tronul angliei/ la urcarea pe
tronul englez, a fost dispusa sa se inteleaga cu Shane/ sa ajunga la o intelegere , care după
moartea tatălui lui/ său era șeful de facto al redutabilului formidabilululi clan O'Neill.

26. The European Council publishes EU guidelines about how it imposes and enforces
aspects of European Union economic sanctions, and the role of Member States.

Consiliul European publică orientari politice comunitare? legate de modul în care sunt
impuse si puse in aplicare sanctiunile economice ale eu si despre rolul statelor membre
aceasta impune și aplică aspecte ale sancțiunilor economice ale Uniunii Europene, precum și
rolul statelor membre.

27. An illegal action, such as forcing, tricking, or coercing a person into an agreement,
results in a non-legally-binding decision, which the person has no obligation to
observe.

O acțiune ilegală, cum ar fi sa oblige pe cineva, pacalesti sau constrangi pe cineva sa accepte
un acord/ contract/ intelegere, duce la / are ca rezultat un contract fara character obligatoriu
forțarea, păcălirea sau constrângerea unei persoane într-un acord, rezulta intr-o decizie fără
caracter juridic obligatoriu, pe care persoana nu are obligația de a o respecta.

28. The statements made by the finance ministers of Slovenia and Germany break a
long-held taboo during the Eurozone crisis talks, where policy makers have been
insisting that they are entirely focused on keeping Greece in the currency union with
the help of more bailout loans.

33
Declarațiile făcute de miniștrii de finanțe ai Sloveniei și Germaniei rastorna un vechi tabuu
depasesc/ distrug un tabu persistent ( cu o istorie lunga) din timpul discuțiilor referitaore la
criza euro
Cand decidentii politice doresc cu tot dinadinsul sa mentina grecia in uniunea montera cu
ajutorul mai multor imrpumuturi de salvare
pe fondul crizei din zona euro, conform caruia factorii de decizie politică au tot insistat ca
sunt în întregime axati pe menținerea Greciei în uniunea monetară cu ajutorul mai multor
credite de salvare .

29. The General Affairs Council acts as a coordinating body when the other councils are
deadlocked on a legislative proposal. If the General Affairs Council cannot break the
deadlock, it sends the issue up to the European Council for a political decision.
decision-maker of last resort

Consiliul Afacerilor Generale acționează ca un organism coordonator, si atunci când celelalte

formatiuni ale consiliului sunt in impas in privinta unei ..
blocate cu o propunere legislativă. În cazul în care Consiliul Afaceri Generale nu poate ieși
din impas, acesta trimite problema Consiliul European care va lua o decizie politică. factor de
decizie de ultimă instanță
General Affairs Council – formation of the Council of the EU/ Council of ministers

30. You must always make sure that what you do is de jure so that you do not get any
fines or penalties against you.

Trebuie să te asiguri întotdeauna că ceea ce faci este de drept, astfel încât să nu primesti nici
amenzi nici penalități sanctiuni

31. The European Council, acting as a collective Head of State, has developed further
roles, such as the settlement of issues outstanding from discussions at a lower level,
and the solemn ratification of significant documents.

Consiliul European, acționând / functionand ca un șef de stat colectiv, a capatat/ dobandit

roluri suplimentare, cum ar fi soluționarea problemelor nerezolvate de la discuțiile care au
avut loc la un nivel inferior, precum și ratificarea solemnă a documentelor importante.

32. The different national delegations accompanying the heads of state or heads of
government for the duration of the European Council meetings are dependent on
notetakers for information about the ongoing procedures.

Diferitele delegații naționale ce însoțesc șefii de stat sau de guvern pe durata sedintelor
Consiliului European depind de functionarii Secretariatului general al Consiliului care iau
notite, pentru a afla informatii despre procedurile în curs de desfășurare.

33. In accordance with Article 2(3)(a) of the Council's Rules of Procedure, delegations
will find attached the draft conclusions prepared by the President of the European
Council, in close cooperation with the member of the European Council representing
the Member State holding the six-monthly Presidency of the Council and with the
President of the Commission.
2 point 3 point a

34
potrivit articolul 2 alineatul (3) litera (a) din Regulamentul de procedură al Consiliului,
delegațiile vor găsi anexat proiectul de concluzii elaborate/ pregatit de către Președintele
Consiliului European, în strânsă colaborare cu membrul Consiliului European ce reprezintă
statul membru care deține președinția pe o durata de șase luni a Consiliului și cu președintele
Comisiei.

34. The State of the Union address, instituted by the Lisbon Treaty, is the annual speech
addressed by the President of the European Commission to the European
Parliament plenary session in September.

discursul referitor la starea uniunii situaţia Uniunii/ prezentării stării Uniunii/ discursul
privind starea Uniunii
instituit prin Tratatul de la Lisabona, este discursul anual facut de Președintele Comisiei
Europene la sesiunea plenară a Parlamentului European din septembrie.

35. Prince Albert II is the current head of state of the principality of Monaco. He is the
son of Ranier III, Prince of Monaco, and the American actress Grace Kelly.

Prințul Albert al II-lea este actualul șef de stat al Principatului Monaco. El este fiul lui Ranier
III, Prinț de Monaco, si al actriței americane Grace Kelly.

36. EU policies whose basic objectives and scope are inscribed in the Treaty itself and
are, therefore, agreed by both the governments and the parliaments of all the Member
States are called fundamental common policies

Politicile UE ale căror obiective și domenii de bază / sfera de aplicare/ cuprindere sunt
înscrise în tratat și sunt, prin urmare, agreate convenite atat de guverne cat și de
parlamentelor tuturor statelor membre se numesc politici comune fundamentale
37. EU policies defined by the common legislative bodies of the EU within the
framework of the fundamental common policies, in accordance with the decision-
making procedure prescribed in the treaty are called secondary common policies.

Politicile UE definite de organele legislative comune ale UE, în cadrul politicilor comune
fundamentale,si în conformitate cu procedura de luare a deciziilor prevăzuta în tratat se
numesc politici comune secundare.

III. Provide Romanian equivalents of the following English terms; use the English terms
in sentences of your own.

1. Council formation;
formațiune a Consiliului
>The Council formations should examine national policies and performances in their areas.
the various Council formations should examine national policies and performances in their
areas, monitor implementation and carry out peer reviews on specific themes to encourage
mutual learning of interesting practices.

35
 2. Agriculture and Fisheries Council;
Consiliului pentru agricultură şi pescuit.
>Brings together . . .in charge of the fisheries
> the Agriculture and Fisheries Council adopted conclusions on the future of the agricultural
policy
The discussions at the Agriculture and Fisheries Council of 27 September 2010 ended with
the confirmation of the blocking minority.
On 15 and 16 December 2011, the Agriculture and Fisheries Council adopted conclusions on
the future of the agricultural promotion policy

3. Competitiveness Council;
Consiliul pt „Competitivitate”
> the Competitiveness Council identified a set of potential (joint programming) initiatives
At its meeting of 26 May 2010 (2 ), the Competitiveness Council identified and substantiated
a set of potential joint programming initiatives

4. Economic and financial Affairs Council (ECOFIN);

Consiliul pt Afaceri Economice și Financiare (Ecofin)
> The Economic and Financial Affairs Council gave a mandate to the Committee to assess the
long-term sustainability of public finances
In May 2008, the Economic and Financial Affairs Council (Ecofin) invited the Commission
to revise the Commission decisions
The Economic and Financial Affairs Council regularly gives a mandate to the Economic
Policy Committee to assess the long-term sustainability and quality of public finances on the
basis of populations projections produced by Eurostat.

5. Education, Youth, Culture and Sports Council; (EYCS)

Consiliul pentru Educație, Tineret, Cultură și Sport
>The Education, Youth, Culture and Sports Council focused on integrity and good
governance in sport, with the adoption of Council conclusions, supported by the UK, and a
policy debate.
>promotes students and teacher mobility
6. Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council;
Consiliului pentru ocuparea forţei de muncă, politică socială,sănătate şi consumatori ?
> homelessness was identified as a priority by the Employment, Social Policy, Health
and Consumer Affairs (EPSCO) Council in 2005

36
The Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council on 30 November last
year, the informal EPSCO Council, the one that has just taken place in Barcelona, also said
that the Member States and the Commission must work to ensure that, in accordance with
their competence, the gender dimension can be consolidated in the 2020 strategy, and that all
the relevant political fields are taken into account.
7. Environment Council;
Consiliul pentru mediu

> the Environment Council clarified the EU’s strategy for a long-term reduction in emissions
In accordance with Article 5(6) of Decision 1999/468/EC, the Environment Council, on 18
December 2006, indicated its opposition by qualified majority, to the proposal.
An important part of the Environment Council’s conclusions will be to clarify the EU’s
strategy for a long-term reduction in emissions
The Environment Council emphasised the importance of internalising environmental costs as
well as energy consumption costs in order to achieve long-term sustainable policies.

8. Foreign Affairs Council;

Consiliul Afaceri Externe

> the Foreign Affairs Council reaffirmed EU’s intention to promote stability, cooperation,
prosperity and good governance
The EU Foreign Affairs Council, in its conclusions on the Kyrgyz Republic of 26 July 2010,
welcomed the efforts of the new Kyrgyz government to establish a democratic institutional
framework and invited the Commission to "continue providing assistance,
at the Foreign Affairs Council held on 8 December 2009 the EU reaffirmed its intention to
promote stability, cooperation, prosperity and good governance
9. General Affairs Council;
Consiliul pt Afaceri Generale
>institutional setup of the EU
> the General Affairs Council highlighted the importance of funding for the further
development and implementation of the policy
On 16 November 2009, the General Affairs Council highlighted the importance of funding
for the further development and implementation of the integrated maritime policy and invited
the Commission to present the necessary proposals for the financing of integrated maritime
policy actions within the existing Financial Perspective, with a view to entry into force by
2011.
10. Justice and Home Affairs Council (JHA);
Consiliul pentru justiţie şi afaceri interne (JAI)
37
>internal borders and asylum seekers
> the Justice and Home Affairs Council adopted a common framework for the integration of
immigrants
The European Council stated the need to improve coordination between national integration
policies and EU initiatives; this is being done by means of the Common Basic Principles
(CBPs), which form a common framework for the integration of immigrants, adopted by the
Justice and Home Affairs Council

11. Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council;

Consiliului pentru transport, telecomunicații și energie
 The agenda endorsed by the Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council aims
to deliver sustainable economic and social benefits
The digital agenda, endorsed by the Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council of
31 May, aims to deliver sustainable economic and social benefits from a digital single market
based on fast and ultra fast internet and interoperable applications.

12. program of legislative priorities,

programul priorităților legislative
> Each holder of the Presidency publishes a program of legislative priorities, depending on
the rules governing the respective issue.
Established by each trio of states that will hold the presidency of the council

13. Permanent Representatives Committee (COREPER),

Comitetului Reprezentanților Permanenți(COREPER)
>The Committee of Permanent Representatives (COREPER) of the governments of the
member states is responsible for preparing the work of the Council.
2 Formations :
1. Representatives
2. experts
Ministers tasked the EU Committee of Permanent Representatives (COREPER) to present a
proposal on an EU framework under which member states could accept detainees

14. Legal Service;

Serviciul Juridic
>it is confirmed by the Legal Service that this is a sound solution from a legal point of view.

15. qualified majority (or double majority) ;

38
majoritate calificată (majoritate dublă)
>A new system of double majority voting will facilitate the reaching of decisions in the
Council
The Council, acting by a qualified majority on a proposal from the Commission, shall decide
on any adjustments to be made to the initial general economic policy conditions and shall
approve the revised adjustment programme as prepared by the beneficiary Member State
16. blocking minority;
minoritatea blocanta.
>the decision was ejected by members representing a blocking minority of the votes/
> The proposal was opposed by a blocking minority of Member States
the decision proposed by the panel could be rejected by members representing a blocking
minority of the votes
The proposal was opposed by a blocking minority of Member States (72 votes against and 39
votes through abstention). 21 Member States (234 votes) were in favour of the proposal.
17. opt-out;
clauza care permite refuzul
posibilitatea de neaplicare/ optează să refuze / excludere voluntara/ opțiune de neparticipare/
derogare/ clauză de neparticipare
>The state used the ‘opt-out’ to be excluded/ opted out from the responsibility to prepare
itself to join the euro area
Hungary uses the ‘opt-out’ (derogation under Article 22 of the Directive) for the health sector
(1) and, accordingly, doctors in training may work more than 48 hours per week if they give
advance written consent to do so.
and we know that there are two EU Member States, namely the UK and Denmark, that got an
opt-out so that they can be excluded from the responsibility of all EU Member States to
prepare themselves and their economies to join the euro area one day.
Eleven Member States indicate that they have not allowed the use of the opt-out in their
transposing legislation: they are Austria, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania,
Luxembourg, Portugal, Romania and Sweden.

18. to nominate/nomination;
desemna/ nominalize desemnare
>the government has submitted a nomination for a new representative,
The Latvian Government has informed the Council of its intention to replace the Latvian
representative on the Management Board and has submitted a nomination for a new
representative, who should be appointed for a period which runs until 31 May 2011.

19. guardian of the Treaties;

39
gardian al Tratatelor.

>The Commission, as the guardian of the Treaties, will continue to support Member States'
efforts to improve their implementation of the Community law

The Commission, as the guardian of the Treaties, has provided some legal clarification by
means of its Interpretative Communication on the application of Article 296 of the Treaty in
the field of defence procurement, which was adopted in December 2006.
Without prejudice to its role as guardian of the Treaties, the Commission will continue to
support Member States' efforts to improve their implementation, and is ready to facilitate
exchanges between Member States, and between the social partners, where these can be
helpful.

20. the power of initiative;

puterea de iniţiativa,
>The Commission has the power of legislative initiative
It falls to the High Representative, now equipped with the power of initiative, under Article
30 of the treaty, to propose and lead a true European strategy
The report emphasises the Commission’s key role, as the institution with the power of
legislative initiative, in drafting high-quality legislative proposals.

21. infringement of the Community legislation;

încălcarea legislatiei / dreptului comunitar
> the appellant alleged an infringement of Community law by the Court of First Instance
The appellant puts forward a single plea in law in support of its appeal, alleging an
infringement of Community law by the Court of First Instance and, more specifically, that it
incorrectly interpreted Article 8(1)(b) of Council Regulation (EC) No 40/94 of 20 December
1993 on the Community trade mark (1 ).

22. Directorates-General;
direcțiile generale/ Direcția Generală
>The Directorates General established a cost-effective internal control system
Taking these elements in balance, it is proposed that the Directorates General charged with
the implementation of the research and innovation budget will establish a cost-effective
internal control system

23. MEPs;
membrii Parlamentului European/ euro parlamentari

40
>A former MEP was found guilty of bribery and sentenced to four years in prison.
>At the first plenary session, MEPs were called to form or join a political group,

24. the power of the purse;

puterea bugetara financiara bugetului public ca instrument cu putere de lege
putere financiara, puterea politică
- parl si consiliul
În etapa actuala a competentelor, puterea bugetara este instrumentul privilegiat prin care se
poate exprima vointa politica a Parlamentului

Definition: The influence that legislatures have over public policy because of their power to
vote money for public purposes. The United States Congress must authorize the president's
budget requests to fund agencies and programs of the executive branch

> Through the power of the purse, the British Parliament slowly subverted the executive
strength of the crown;
Through the power of the purse, the British Parliament slowly subverted the executive
strength of the crown; King Charles II was limited in his powers to engage in various war
efforts by a refusal by Parliament to authorise further taxes and by his inability to secure
loans from foreign nations, making him much less powerful.

In the federal government of the United States, the power of the purse is vested in the
Congress as laid down in the Constitution of the United States, Article I, Section 9, Clause 7
(the Appropriations Clause) and Article I, Section 8, Clause 1 (the Taxing and Spending
Clause).The power of the purse plays a critical role in the relationship of the United States
Congress and the President of the United States, and has been the main historic tool by which
Congress has limited executive power.

25. Commission opinion;

avizului Comisiei/ opinia Comisiei
> The European Council welcomed the Commission opinion on Iceland's application for
membership of the Union
The European Council of 17 June 2010 welcomed the Commission opinion on Iceland's
application for membership of the Union, noted that Iceland met the political criteria set by
the Copenhagen European Council in 1993 and decided that accession negotiations with
Iceland should be opened.

26. common position;

poziția comună

41
> the priorities and measures set out in Council Common Position continue to guide EU
actions, including assistance and outreach projects
> The changes introduced by the Council’s common position are acceptable to the
Commission as they lead to a realistic compromise
The changes introduced by the Council’s common position are acceptable to the Commission
as they lead to a realistic compromise between, on the one hand, the need for reliable and
comparable data to measure progress towards a more sustainable use of pesticides and the
reduction of risks and, on the other hand, the difficulty for most of the Member States to
introduce a new data collection system and collect sufficiently detailed and comparable data
for the needs of this Regulation.
On 20 March 2006, the Council of the European Union adopted Common Position
2006/242/CFSP relating to the 2006 Review Conference of the Biological and Toxin
Weapons Convention

27. to settle legal disputes;

soluţionarea litigiilor/ diferendelor
> the legislation provides for full reimbursement of the court fee if the parties settle a pending
legal dispute through mediation;
28. Grand Chamber;
Marea Cameră
> the Grand Chamber of the General Court delivered the judgment,
In relation to the Court of Justice itself, the amendments are intended to establish the office of
Vice-President of the Court and to determine the tasks to be entrusted to him/her (Articles 9a,
new, and 39, second paragraph), to modify the composition of the Grand Chamber (Article
16, second paragraph), to increase the quorum for decisions by the Grand Chamber and the
full Court (Article 17, third and fourth paragraphs), and to abolish the reading at the hearing
of the report presented by the Judge-Rapporteur (Article 20, fourth paragraph).
29. advocates-general;
avocați generali
> It is the role of the Advocates General to propose to the Court, in complete independence, a
legal solution to the cases for which they are responsible
Retiring Judges and Advocates General who are reappointed shall retain their former
precedence. (Judecătorii și avocații generali care își încheie mandatul și care sunt numiți din
nou își păstrează rangul anterior.)

30. references for a preliminary ruling;

o cerere de pronunțare a unei hotărâri preliminare
> References for a preliminary ruling require, in certain cases, a rapid response from the
Court

42
The reference for a preliminary ruling made by the Tribunal Superior de Justicia de Canarias,
by decision of 26 November 2006, is inadmissible
References for a preliminary ruling which may be submitted to the Court of Justice in the
areas covered by Title VI of the Treaty on European Union or Title IV of Part Three of the
Treaty establishing the European Community, which seek to maintain and develop an area of
freedom, security and justice, require, in certain cases, a rapid response from the Court by
reason of the urgency with which the case has to be dealt with before the national court or
tribunal.

31. actions for failure to fulfill an obligation;

acţiuni în constatarea neîndeplinirii obligaţiilor
> The Commission brought actions for failure to fulfil obligations against six Member States
The Commission brought actions for failure to fulfil obligations against six Member States
(Belgium, Germany, Greece, France, Luxembourg and Austria) because they reserve access
to the profession of notary to their own nationals, which in the Commission’s opinion is
discrimination on grounds of nationality, prohibited by the EC Treaty.

32. actions for annulment;

Acțiune în anulare
>the applicant submitted two actions for annulment of Commission decisions
The applicant, who submitted two actions for annulment of Commission decisions relating to
a merger, also submitted an application for access to documents concerning the concentration.
(Reclamanta, care a introdus două acţiuni în anulare a deciziilor Comisiei privind o
concentrare, a prezentat, de asemenea, o cerere de acces la documente referitoare la această
operaţiune. )

33. actions for failure to act;

acțiune în constatarea abținerii de a acționa
> the complainant requested the Commission to take action in the case and threatened a
renewed action for failure to act
> the complainant brought an action for failure to act against the institution for failure to
adopt the measures
the applicant brought the present action for failure to act under Article 232 EC.
On 19 January 2012, the complainant requested the Commission to take action in the case
within a period of two months and threatened a renewed action for failure to act.
The applicants further submit that Article 232 EC must be interpreted as entitling individuals
or undertakings to bring an action for failure to act against an institution for failure to adopt
measures which would have been of direct and individual concern to them, even though they
are not the potential addressees of these measures.
(Reclamantele susțin în continuare că articolul 232 CE trebuie interpretat în sensul că acordă
persoanelor fizice sau întreprinderilor dreptul de a formula o acțiune în constatarea abținerii

43
de a acționa împotriva unei instituții, pentru neadoptarea măsurilor care i-ar fi vizat direct și
individual, deși aceștia nu sunt potențialii destinatari ai acestor măsuri.)

34. actions for damages;

acțiuni în despăgubire,/ daune/ pretentii
>An action for damages was brought against the European Community on the basis of non-
contractual liability (O acțiune în răspundere extracontractuală îndreptată împotriva
Comunității Europene,)
> in an action for damages the applicant must demonstrate a sufficiently serious breach by the
institution of a rule of law intended to confer rights on individuals
The EDPS would also favour the empowerment of qualified entities, such as consumer
associations or public bodies, to bring actions for damages on behalf of victims of data
protection breaches. (De asemenea, AEPD ar agrea autorizarea unor entități competente, cum
ar fi asociațiile consumatorilor sau organismele publice, pentru a introduce acțiuni în
despăgubire în numele victimelor încălcărilor protecției datelor.)
It should be noted that in an action for damages under Article 288 EC the applicant must
demonstrate a sufficiently serious breach by the institution of a rule of law intended to confer
rights on individuals, real harm suffered by the applicant, and a direct causal link between the
unlawful act and the harm. (Trebuie remarcat că în cadrul unei acțiuni în despăgubiri în
conformitate cu articolul 288 CE, reclamantul trebuie să demonstreze o încălcare suficient de
gravă de către instituție a statului de drept destinat să ofere drepturi persoanelor fizice, daune
reale suferite de reclamant și o legătură cauzală directă între actul ilegal și daune.)

35. the registry of the Court.

grefa Tribunalului/ curtii/ registrul curții

>the company lodged an application at the Court Registry for the annulment of the Council
Regulation

a company incorporated under Russian law, lodged an application at the Court Registry for
the annulment of the Council Regulation (EC) No 945/2005. (societate comercială de drept
rus, a depus o cerere la grefa curții pentru anularea Regulamentului (CE) nr. 945/2005 al
Consiliului.)

IV. The following terms refer to various voting procedures. Match the terms with their
correct definitions, and provide their Romanian equivalents:

Simple majority; qualified majority; blocking minority; roll-call vote; vote by a show of
hands; veto; abstention; weighted votes; vote in favour of/for; vote against
something/vote something down; cast one’s vote; split vote; vote en bloc; unanimity;
direct, universal suffrage; single vote; take a vote on an issue / to take (hold) a vote;
absolute majority; quorum; tie vote; voting card; to have a vote; motion carried;
44
motion rejected; vote by ballot; vote by mail; electronic vote; voting machine; casting
vote; free vote, vote of no confidence (vote of censure)

1. To give a formal indication of a choice between two or more candidates or courses of

action, expressed typically through a ballot or a show of hands or by voice. ; to have
a vote
A avea un vot/ drept de vot

2. A vote on a motion put by the Opposition censuring an aspect of the Government's

policy; if the motion is carried the Government is obliged to. Vote of no confidence
(vote of censure)
vot de neîncredere/ vot/ moţiune de cenzură,

3. A majority in which the highest number of votes cast for any one candidate, issue, or
item exceeds the second-highest number, while not constituting an absolute majority.
Simple majority
majoritate simplă

4. A blue non-transferable chip card used by MEPs to vote in the Chamber, which they
insert into the slot in the terminal at the Member's seat. voting card
cartela de vot

5. To defeat something such as a law or plan by voting against it – ; vote against

something/vote something down
vota împotriva/ respinge

6. Agreement by all people involved; consensus. Unanimity

7.
8. A process that allows people to vote in secret so that other people cannot see their
votes. Vote by ballot
Scrutin

9. The Treaty of Lisbon also provides for a blocking minority composed of at least four
Member States representing over 35% of the EU population. Blocking minority
minoritate de blocare,

10. To put something to the vote. Take a vote on an issue / to take (hold) a vote
a vota privind un subiect

11. The raising of hands to indicate voting for or against a proposition. Vote by a show of
hands
vota prin ridicare de mână,

12. Have the right to express one's preference for a candidate or for a proposed resolution
of an issue.direct, universal suffrage
sufragiu universal direct.

13. Voting method which employs a terminal into which a card is inserted and this
activates a yellow warning light and an animated display to signal the vote taken by
the voter. electronic vote

45
Vot electronic

14. To place one's ballot in the ballot box. Cast one’s vote
a-și exprima votul

15. A number of votes constituting more than half of the number cast. Absolute majority
majoritate absolute

16. A constitutional right to reject a decision or proposal made by a lawmaking body.

Veto

17. The deciding vote of a presiding officer in an assembly or council, exercised when the
re is a deadlock due to a tie. Casting vote
vot decisiv

18. Such a majority is achieved if it covers at least 55% of Member States representing at
least 65% of the population of the EU. Qualified majority
majoritate calificată,
19. Occurs where one single vote is taken on a number of items, motions or
recommendations – vote en bloc (vot in bloc)
20. A mechanical apparatus used in a polling place to register and count the votes. Voting
machine
Terminal/ post de vot
21. In this system of voting, the vote of each member is recorded as each member inserts
his card at the voting station and a running count of votes is displayed, while the
names of all those voting for and against are automatically recorded. Roll call vote
vot prin apel nominal
22. The minimum number of members of an assembly or society that must be present at
any of its meetings to make the proceedings of that meeting valid. Quorum =cvorum
23. An instance of declining to vote for or against a proposal or motion. Abstention =
abţinere
24. Voting an amendment, article or paragraph of the text under consideration in two or
more parts. Split vote = vot pe părți
25. In a parliamentary procedure, when a vote is taken on a motion, and the number of
those who agree outnumber those who do not, the chair speaks up indicating that the
suggestion in the motion has been adopted by the meeting. ; Motion carried
Propunere adoptata

26. Voting system based on the idea that not all voters should have the same amount of
influence over the outcome of an election, so, are given different amounts of say
concerning the outcome. Weighted votes = voturile ponderate
27. An equal number of votes for the two sides. Tie vote = egalitate de voturi,
28. A parliamentary division in which members vote according to their own beliefs rather
than following a party policy. Free vote = vot liber
29. In parliamentary law and procedure, when a proposal raised at a meeting and
submitted for consideration, debate and vote, is not accepted proposal to. Motion
rejected
Motiune/ propunere respinsa
30. A system for conducting elections in which voters receive and return ballots via the
mail. Vote by mail = vot prin corespondență

46
 31. When an item is placed on the agenda for adoption without amendment. Single vote
vot unic

V.Match the words/phrases in List A with the words/phrases in List B, give the
Romanian equivalents of the noun phrases thus obtained and use them to fill the blanks
in the sentences below. Translate the sentences into Romanian:

List A: advisory; the power; advocates; Directorates; actions for; common; proceedings for
failure; plenary; point; guardian; preliminary ruling; actions for; infringement of; registry;
democratic; the power of; dissenting; term of; Commission; Grand; actions for;
List B: of the court; general; the Community legislation; procedure; of initiative; sessions; to
fulfill an obligation; position; supervision; failure to act; Chamber; damages; General;
annulment; of the Treaties; of the Treaties; opinion; of law; the purse; opinions; body

Power of the purse = puterea bugetara

power of initiative = puterea iniţiativei
action for damages = acțiuni în despăgubire
(power of ) democratic supervision = competenta de supraveghere democratică;
dissenting opinion = opinie divergentă
Advocates General = avocați generali
guardian of the treaties = gardian al Tratatelor.
preliminary ruling procedure = procedura de pronunțare a unei hotărâri preliminare
Directorate-Generals =direcțiile generale/ Direcția Generală
point of law = pe fond sau pe chestiuni de drept
Proceedings for annulment = procedurii în anulare
advisory body = grup / organism consultativ.
term of the Treaties = conditiile inscrise in tratat / în temeiul tratelor,
grand chamber = Marea Cameră
Commission opinion = avizului Comisiei/ opinia Comisiei
Actions for failure to fulfill an obligation = acţiuni în constatarea neîndeplinirii obligaţiilor
plenary sessions = sesiuni plenare
infringement of the Community legislation= încălcarea dreptului comunitar
common position = poziția comună
registry of the court = grefa Tribunalului/ curtii/ registrul curții
actions for failure to act = acțiune în constatarea abținerii de a acționa

1. Congress will be exercising its power of the purse in a rational way, rather than
running up a debt and then refusing to pay it.

puterea bugetara
Congresul isi va fi exercita puterea bugetara mai degraba într-un mod rațional, decât să
ramana cu datorii și apoi sa refuze să le plătească.

2. According to the founding treaties, the European Commission (EC) has supranational
monopoly over the power of initiative as a guarantee of impartiality and expertise

47
 over the policy proposals that were submitted to the attention of the legislative
branches.

puterea iniţiativei
Conform tratatelor fondatoare, Comisia Europeană (CE) are monopol supranațional asupra
puterii de inițiativă ca o garanție a imparțialității și a expertizei asupra propunerilor de politici
care au fost înaintate puterii legislative.

3. Individuals or Member States who have suffered damage may obtain compensation
on behalf of the institution that caused it by bringing an action for damages before
the Court of Justice of the European Union.

acțiuni în despăgubire

Persoanele fizice sau statele membre care au suferit un prejudiciu pot obține despăgubiri în
numele instituției vinovate prin introducerea unei acțiuni în despăgubire în fața Curții de
Justiție a Uniunii Europene.

4. By virtue of its power of democratic supervision, the Parliament supervises all

Community activities.

competenta de supraveghere democratică;

În virtutea competentei sale de supraveghere democratică;, Parlamentul supraveghează toate
activitățile comunitare.

5. A dissenting opinion presents the reasons for which one of the judges taking part in
the deliberations voted against the final decision reached by the majority.

opinie separata
O opinie separata prezintă motivele pentru care unul dintre judecătorii care au luat parte la
deliberări a votat împotriva deciziei finale luata de majoritate.

6. The opinions of the Advocates General are advisory and do not bind the Court, but
they are nonetheless very influential and are followed in the majority of cases.

avocați generali
Opiniile/ Avizele avocaților generali sunt consultative și nu obliga/ nu sunt obligatorii pentru
Curte, dar cu toate aceastea au o mare influenta și sunt urmate în majoritatea cazurilor.

7. As guardian of the treaties, the European Commission is responsible for ensuring

that the European law is properly applied in all the Member States.

gardian al Tratatelor.
În calitate de gardian al tratatelor, Comisia Europeană este responsabilă pentru asigurarea
faptului că legislația europeană se aplică în mod corespunzător în toate statele membre.

8. The preliminary ruling procedure enables national courts to question the European
Court of Justice on the interpretation or validity of European law. The reference for
such a procedure therefore offers a means to guarantee legal certainty by uniform
application of EU law.

48
procedura de pronunțare a unei hotărâri preliminare
procedura de decizie preliminara permite instanțelor naționale să adreseze o intrebare Curtea
Europena de Justiție in ceea ce priveste interpretarea sau valabilitatea dreptului european.
Prin urmare, faputul ca se apeleaza la o asemenea procredura garanteaza certitudinea juridică
prin aplicarea uniformă a legislației UE/ dreptului european.

9. The Commission is divided into departments known as Directorate-Generals, each

of them classified according to the policy it deals with.

direcțiile generale/ Direcția Generală

Comisia este împărțită în departamente cunoscute sub numele de direcții generale, fiecare
dintre ele fiind denumite în funcție de domeniile de care se ocupă.

10. In jurisprudence, a point of law is a question which must be answered by applying

relevant legal principles, by an interpretation of the law.

pe fond sau pe chestiuni de drept

În jurisprudență, o chestiune de drept este o chestiune/pb la care trebuie să se răspundă prin
aplicarea principiilor juridice relevante/ pertinente, prin interpretare a legii.

11. A proceeding / action for annulment brought before the European Court of Justice
consists of a review of the legality of European acts which may lead to the annulment
of the act concerned.

procedurii în anulare
O acțiune în anulare introdusă în fața Curții Europene de Justiție constă într-un control al
legalității actelor europene, care ar putea conduce la anularea actului în cauză.

12. An example of an advisory body is when a city wants to know the environmental
impact of putting a campground in on the lake, so they hire a group of people to look
into the pros/cons and make a report.

grup / organism consultativ.

Un exemplu de organism consultativ este atunci când o primarie dorește să cunoască impactul
asupra mediului cauzat de crearea unui teren de campare pe malul lacului, asa ca angajeza un
grup de oameni să analizeze si sa gaseasca argumente pro / contra și să realizeze un raport.

13. That president’s term of office was wasted in quarrels with the Legislature.

presedintele acela si-a irosit mandatul in certuri cu organul legislativ

14. Prior to 2004, the European Court of Justice met as a full chamber for all cases, but it
now may sit as a grand chamber of 13 judges or in Chambers of 3 to 5 judges.

Marea Cameră
Înainte de 2004, Curtea Europeană de Justiție s-a reunit ca o cameră completa care aborda
orice fel de caz, dar acum se poate reuni ca o mare cameră de 13 judecători sau în camere de
3 până la 5 judecători.?

49
 15. A commission opinion is an instrument that allows this institution to make a
statement in a non-binding fashion, in other words without imposing any legal
obligation on those to whom it is addressed.

avizului Comisiei/ opinia Comisiei

O opinie a Comisiei este un instrument care permite acestei instituții să facă o declarație într-
un mod neobligatoriu, cu alte cuvinte, fără a impune nici o obligație legală celor cărora li se
adresează.

16. Proceedings/ actions for failure to fulfill an obligation are legal proceedings brought
before the Court of Justice of the European Union which enable the Court of Justice
to control Member States’ compliance with their obligations under European law.

acţiuni în constatarea neîndeplinirii obligaţiilor

Procedurile / acțiuni în constatarea neîndeplinirii obligațiilor sunt proceduri judiciare
introduse în fața Curții de Justiție a Uniunii Europene, care permit Curții să controleze
respectarea de către statele membre a obligațiilor care le revin în temeiul dreptului european.

17. Sessions which bring together all the MEPs and are chaired by the President of the
European Parliament are called plenary sessions.

sesiuni plenare
Sesiunile la care se reunesc toți deputații, și care sunt prezidate de Președintele Parlamentului
European se numesc sesiuni plenare.

18. The Commission, as the investigative authority and the guardian of the treaties does
not negotiate the question of the existence of an infringement of the Community
legislation and the appropriate sanction.

încălcarea dreptului comunitar

Comisia, în calitate de autoritate de investigare și de gardian al tratatelor nu negociază
problema existenței unei încălcări a legislației comunitare și sancțiunea corespunzătoare.?

19. When the Council does not share the views expressed by Parliament, it adopts
a common position, which is forwarded to the European Parliament together with
a statement of reasons.

poziția comună
Cand Consiliul nu împărtășește opiniile exprimate de către Parlament, adoptă o poziție
comună, care este transmisa Parlamentului European, împreună cu o expunere de motive.

20. The administrators of the Court are responsible for the registry of the court as well
as for the receipt, transmission and custody of documents and pleadings that have
been entered in a register initialled by the President.

grefa Tribunalului/ curtii/ registrul curții

Administratorii Curții sunt responsabili pentru grefa instanței precum și pentru primirea,
transmiterea și păstrarea documentelor și a memoriilor care au fost introduse într-un registru
parafat de către președinte.

50
 21. In case the Council or the Commission has failed to meet its obligation to act, thus
infringing the provisions of the Treaties, a Member State, and possibly an individual
may initiate actions for failure to act.

acțiune în constatarea abținerii de a acționa

În cazul în care Consiliul sau Comisia nu au îndeplinit obligația de a acționa, încălcând astfel
dispozițiile tratatelor, un stat membru, și, eventual, o persoană poate iniția acțiuni în
constatarea abținerii de a acționa.

VI. Translate into English:

1. Curtea de Justitie a Comunitatilor Europene (CEJ), cu sediul la Luxemburg a fost
înființată în anul 1952 in baza Tratatul de la Paris, care a instituit Comunitatea
Europeanã a Cãrbunelui si Otelului.

The Court of Justice of the European Communities (ECJ), based in Luxembourg, was
established in 1952 under the Treaty of Paris, which established the European Coal and Steel
Community.

2. Curtea de Justitie a fost înfiintatã în virtutea art. 31-45 din Tratat.

The Court of Justice was established under Articles 31-45 of the Treaty.

3. Curtea avea rolul de a efectua un control judiciar independent asupra actelor Înaltei
Autoritãti si ale statelor comunitare.

The Court was intended to carry out an independent judicial review of the acts of the High
Authority and of the Member States

4. Curtea avea sarcina de a supraveghea respectarea Tratatului si solutionarea

diferendelor dintre tãrile membre sau dintre particulari si Înalta Autoritate.

The Court had the task of monitoring/ supervising compliance with the Treaty and of settling
disputes between member states or individuals and the High Authority.

5. Initial Curtea era compusã din 7 judecãtori si 2 avocati generali numiti de comun
acord de cãtre guvernele statelor membre pentru o perioadã de 6 ani.

Initially Court was composed of / comprised 7 judges and two advocate generals appointed
by common/ mutual agreement by the governments of the Member States for a period of 6
years.

6. Avea în aparatul sãu un grefier, ales prin scrutin secret.

It had a registrar elected by secret ballot.

51
 7. Odatã cu Tratatele semnate în 1957 la Roma, au fost create douã noi Comunitãti cu o
structurã asemãnãtoare cu cea a CECO, dar cele trei Curti de Justitie astfel rezultate s-
au unificat într-o Curte de Justitie unicã.

With the signing of the 1957 treaties, there were created two new communities with a
structure similar to that of the ECSC, but the three resulting Courts of Justice were unified
into a single Court of Justice.

8. Rolul Curtii de Justitie este sa asigure uniformitatea interpretarii si aplicarii dreptului

comunitar in fiecare stat membru.

The Court's role is to ensure uniformity of interpretation and application of Community law
in each Member State.

9. Curtea de Justitie are puterea de a judeca litigiile dintre statele membre ale Uniunii,
dintre institutiile europene, dintre companii si dintre indivizi.

The Court of Justice has the power to hear disputes between Member States, European
institutions, between companies and between individuals.

10. La ora actuala, Curtea de Justiţie este compusă din 28 de judecători şi 9 avocaţi
generali.

Currently, the Court consists of 28 judges and 9 advocates general.

11. Judecătorii şi avocaţii generali sunt desemnaţi de comun acord de către

guvernele statelor membre, pentru un mandat de şase ani care poate fi reînnoit.

The judges and Advocates General are appointed by the common accord of the governments
of the Member States for a term of six years which may be renewed.

12. Aceştia sunt aleşi din rândul juriştilor care oferă toate garanţiile de independenţă şi
care întrunesc condiţiile cerute pentru exercitarea, în ţările lor, a celor mai înalte
funcţii jurisdicţionale sau a căror competenţă este recunoscută.

They are chosen from among lawyers who offer every guarantee of independence/ whose
independence is beyond doubt, and who meet the qualifications required for holding the
highest judicial office in their countries, or whose competence is recognized .

52