is the directly-elected democratic expression of the political will of the peoples of the European Union, the largest multinational Parliament in the world.

• The Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs and Industrial Policy
  
  

is usually known as the Council of Ministers, and has no equivalent anywhere in the world. Here, the Member States legislate for the Union, set its political objectives, coordinate their national policies and resolve differences between themselves and with other institutions.

identifies three distinct functions: initiating proposals for legislation, guardian of the Treaties, and the manager and executor of Union policies and of international trade relationships.

• Economic and Monetary Policy
  
  
  • The Union's Policies
    
    
  • The Road to Economic and Monetary Union
    
    
    • Single Currency - Commissions Green Paper
      
      
    • On the Political Agenda - Next Steps to Integration
      
      
• Directorate General II of the European Commision - Economic and Financial Affairs - Official ECU Exchange Rates
  
  
• Directorate General XV
  
  
  • Commission Adopts Single Market Action Plan for Amsterdam European Council
    
    
  • Communication on the Impact and Effectiveness of the Single Market
    
    

provides the judicial safeguards necessary to ensure that the law is observed in the interpretation and application of the Treaties and, generally in all of the activities of the Union.

is the taxpayers' representative, responsible for checking that the European Union spends its money according to its budgetary rules and regulations and for the purposes for which it is intended.

is the European Union's financing institution, it provides loans for capital investment promoting the Union's balanced economic development and integration.

follows a purely consultative role, but its opinions derive their authority from a membership which is drawn from a broad cross-section of the Union's social and economic life.

is the European Union's youngest institution whose birth reflects Member States' strong desire not only to respect regional and local identities and prerogatives but also to involve them in the development and implementation of EU policies.