Research Paper on:
Legislative Power in the EU

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
treaty granted wide powers on the institutions of the EU, which are located primarily in Brussels, Strasbourg and Luxembourg. While some of the provisions of the Maastricht Treaty, such as  the provisions regarding crime enforcement, are of the traditional intergovernmental nature, others , such as the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU), are of a supra-national dimension (Smith 12). The  following examination of the EU focuses specifically on the how legislative power is exercised in the EU. However, in understanding the legislative process in the EU, it is helpful to  see how the EU came into being. In other words, the legislative process in the EU derives, at least in part, from the fact that it was not created as  part of one process, but rather evolved, as the EU evolved, over the course of several decades. The EU began as the European Coal and Steel Community in 1951,  which was a post-World War II endeavor to speed up the recovery and rebuilding of Europe in the aftermath of that war (Miniter 36). Then, the Treaty of Rome was  signed in 1958, which created the European Economic Community (Miniter 36). This treaty ultimately led to the creation of a common market that resulted in a Europe-wide, free-trade zone, along  with numerous supra-national institutions, such as the European Commission, the Council of Ministers, and the European Court of Justice (Minister 36). According to the EU homepage, the EU is  run by give institutions, with each playing a specific role. These institutions are: 1. The European Parliament, with representatives elected by the peoples of the member states 2. Council  of the Union, which is composed of the government of the member states. 3. European Commission, which is the "driving force and executive body." 4. Court of Justice 5.