The House of European History was thought, from the beginning, to house not only exhibitions but also a documentation and information centre about European history.

This museum offers a new and thought-provoking way of seeing and understanding the history of the continent and the development of European integration. The principal focus of the permanent exhibition  (available in 24 languages)is on European history of the 19th and 20th centuries, while also delving into Europe’s roots and exploring in detail the context and evolution of European integration. A project under the auspices of the European Parliament, the House of European History aims to become a place of debate and exchange about history, with a range of events and learning programmes.

Learning at the House of European History is an exploration of the diverse experiences and common ground of the peoples of Europe in the past, and an assessment of their significance in today’s world. The learning offer of the museum starts with contemporary situations or problems and facilitates an approach where learners make meaning for themselves. The museum offers a vast array of activities and resources available for teachers and students who either visit the House of European History onsite or online.

The House presents Europe's history in a way that raises awareness about the multiplicity of perspectives and interpretations. It preserves shared and dividing memories. It exhibits and collects the history of European integration and its foundations. A project of the European Parliament and part of its visitor offer, the House of European History is academically independent.

From Sweden

“The European Commission Visitors´Centre and The European Commission”

About the Visitors' Centre

Based in Brussels, the centre provides the public with an understanding of how the European Commission works and, its policies and priorities. 

General information visit – 90 minutes

About the Commission’s role as the EU’s political executive.

For persons, such as secondary students, with little or no previous knowledge about the EU.

The European Commission

The European Commission (EC) is the executive branch of the European Union, responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the EU treaties and managing the day-to-day business of the EU. Commissioners swear an oath at the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg City, pledging to respect the treaties and to be completely independent in carrying out their duties during their mandate.  The Commissioners are proposed by the Council of the European Union, on the basis of suggestions made by the national governments, and then appointed by the European Council after the approval of the European Parliament. It is common, although not a formal requirement, that the commissioners have previously held senior political positions, such as being a member of the European Parliament or a government minister.

This EU institution operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "commissioners"). There is one member per member state, but members are bound by their oath of office to represent the general interest of the EU as a whole rather than their home state. One of the 27 is the Commission President (currently Ursula von der Leyen) proposed by the European Council and elected by the European Parliament. The Council of the European Union then nominates the other members of the Commission in agreement with the nominated President, and the 27 members as a single body are then subject to a vote of approval by the European Parliament. The current Commission is the Von der Leyen Commission, which took office in December 2019, following the European Parliament elections in May of the same year.

The term Commission is variously used, either in the narrow sense of the 27-member College of Commissioners (or College) or to also include the administrative body of about 32,000 European civil servants who are split into departments called directorates-general and services. The procedural languages of the commission are English, French and German.The Members of the Commission and their "cabinets" (immediate teams) are based in the Berlaymont building in Brussels.

Powers and functions

The commission was set up from the start to act as an independent supranational authority separate from governments; it has been described as "the only body paid to think European". The members are proposed by their member state governments, one from each. However, they are bound to act independently – free from other influences such as those governments which appointed them. This is in contrast to the Council of the European Union, which represents governments, the European Parliament, which represents citizens, the Economic and Social Committee, which represents organised civil society, and the Committee of the Regions, which represents local and regional authorities.

 Through Article 17 of the Treaty on European Union the commission has several responsibilities: to develop medium-term strategies; to draft legislation and arbitrate in the legislative process; to represent the EU in trade negotiations; to make rules and regulations, for example in competition policy; to draw up the budget of the European Union; and to scrutinise the implementation of the treaties and legislation. The rules of procedure of the European Commission set out the commission's operation and organisation.

Headquarters of the European Commission in Brussels (Berlaymont building)

The commission is primarily based in Brussels, with the President's office and the commission's meeting room on the 13th floor of the Berlaymont building. The commission also operates out of numerous other buildings in Brussels and Luxembourg City. When the Parliament is meeting in Strasbourg, the Commissioners also meet there in the Winston Churchill building to attend the Parliament's debates. Additionally, the European Commission has facilities that support it in Alicante, Spain; Munich, Germany; and Varese, Italy.

The Hemicycle of the European Parliament

By III Liceum Ogólnokształcące in Elbląg, Poland.

The term ‘Hemicycle’ can be mysterious for people who are not interested much in politics and democratic institutions of the EU.

But… just click your computer and a lot information appear about the place and what it represents. Well, it is the great assembly hall where general meetings of the Euro parliament take place (we can compare it to the General Assembly of the United Nations Organization in New York). And the Hemicycle is also the general meeting itself. Using more sporty comparison: the hole in golf: a place for a ball and a area of a single game.

The chamber is located in Brussels, in European Parliament buildings. It is usually open to the public (nowadays via the electronic way), free of charge, in 24 languages.  When the pandemic stops, individuals or organized groups can book the entry (https://brussels-hemicycle.booking.europarl.europa.eu ) and after security check visit the ‘heart “of democracy).

There are 705 MEPs which belong to political groups (i.e. communists, greens, some centrists) and the hemicycle is supervised by the President of the European Parliament and his 14 deputies, who control the fluency of debates.

During the session there are present members of the European Commission (not democratically chosen politicians with real power) and members of the Council of the European Union. These two ‘bodies’ are supposed to help the MEPs, answer their questions, and so on.

The discussion can be observed online via the webpages of the EP.

The scheme of the Hemicycle is below.

Parliament meets in plenary session every month (except August) in Strasbourg, for a’part-session’ lasting four days (from Monday to Thursday). Additional part-sessions are held in Brussels. The part-session is divided into daily sittings.

Plenary business mainly focuses on debates and votes . Only the texts adopted in plenary and written declarations signed by a majority of Parliament’s component Members formally constitute acts of the European Parliament. These concern different types of text depending on the subject under consideration and the legislative procedure applicable:

• legislative reports are the texts examined by Parliament in the framework of the EU’s various legislative procedures: ordinary legislative procedure, consent and consultation. The ordinary legislative procedure gives Parliament an equal role as legislator with the Council of the European Union. Certain parliamentary reports thus have more legislative weight than others;
• the budgetary procedure: the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union make up the budgetary authority of the European Union which determines, on an annual basis, the expenditure and revenue of the Union;
• non-legislative reports are drawn up by Parliament on its own initiative, within the parliamentary committee responsible. By adopting these texts, Parliament addresses the other European institutions and bodies, the national governments, or indeed third countries, with the aim of drawing attention to a specific matter and eliciting a response. Although they have no legislative value, these initiatives are founded on a parliamentary legitimacy which may well convince the Commission to come up with proposals on the matter concerned.

During the plenary sitting, Parliament can decide to express its opinion on any matter which it considers important. It can also ask the Commission to submit an appropriate proposal on issues which in Parliament’s view require a legislative act to be adopted. The sitting also includes a period set aside for Question Time with the Council and/or the Commission. In general, Question Time with the Commission is held on Tuesday, and with the Council on Wednesday. The questions must be submitted in advance, in writing, to The President of the European Parliament, who decides whether they are admissible.

Parliament’s annual calendar of work is adopted each year in plenary, usually in June, on a proposal from the Conference of Presidents of the political groups. The calendar indicates the weeks set aside for committee meetings and for political group meetings. The plenary agenda indicates whether the statements by the Council, Commission or European Council and the oral questions to the Council and Commission are to be followed by a vote on a motion for a resolution. Debates on cases of breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law may also give rise to motions for resolutions.

It can be a great attraction to visit the Hemicycle, especially during their work and listen to some debates.

From what is shown in the media, some debates used to be/are very interesting (i.e. MEP Nigel Farage, MEP Ryszard Legutko) some even ridiculous. After watching such a debate, it is good to meet the MEP and ask him/her questions. That can be very interesting.

The Council of the European Union

The Council of the European Union is the institution that represents the member states' governments. Also known informally as the EU Council or the Council of Ministers, it is where national ministers from each EU country meet to adopt laws and coordinate policies.

The tasks of the Council of the European Union

The Council of the European Union negotiates and adopts legislative acts in most cases together with the European Parliament through the ordinary legislative procedure, also known as 'codecision'. The Council is also responsible for coordinating member states' policies in numerous areas. In addition, the Council defines and implements EU foreign and security policy on the basis of guidelines set by the European Council. The Council also provides the mandate to the European Commission to negotiate on behalf of the EU agreements between the EU and non-EU countries and international organisations. Furthermore, the Council adopts the EU budget together with the Parliament.

Council configurations

The Council meets in 10 different configurations that encompass all of the EU’s policy areas – from ‘economic and financial affairs’ to ‘agriculture and fisheries’ and ‘environment’. Council meetings are held in Brussels or Luxembourg and each of the 28 EU member states sends their minister or state secretary responsible for that policy area. They have the right to commit the government of their country and cast its vote. The Council takes its decisions by a simple majority, qualified majority or unanimous vote, depending on the decision that needs to be taken.

The Council presidency

The presidency of the Council (also called the Council presidency) rotates every 6 months in a set sequence among the 28 EU member states. During this 6-month period, the presidency chairs meetings at every level in the Council, helping to ensure the continuity of the EU's work in the Council. In 2018 the Austrian Presidency took place.

The tasks of the Council presidency

The Council presidency has a wide range of challenging tasks. The presidency is responsible for driving forward the Council's work on EU legislation, ensuring the continuity of the EU agenda, orderly legislative processes and cooperation among member states. To do this, the presidency must act as an honest and neutral Broker.

• Planning and chairing meetings in the Council and its preparatory bodies: 
   The presidency chairs meetings of the different Council configurations (with the exception of the Foreign Affairs Council) and the Council's preparatory bodies, which include permanent committees such as the Permanent Representatives Committee (Coreper), and working parties and committees dealing with very specific subjects. The presidency ensures that discussions are conducted properly and that the Council's rules of procedure and working methods are correctly applied. It also organises various formal and informal meetings in Brussels and in the country of the rotating presidency.
   

• Representing the Council in relations with the other EU institutions:
  The presidency represents the Council in relations with the other EU institutions, particularly with the Commission and the European Parliament. Its role is to try and reach agreement on legislative files through trilogues, informal negotiation meetings and Conciliation Committee meetings.

The presidency works in close coordination with the President of the European Council and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

The ‘Trio Presidency’

To ensure the continuity of the EU's work in the Council, successive presidencies work together in groups of three, called ‘trios’ or the ‘Trio Presidency’. The trio adopts a common programme determining the priorities and objectives that will be addressed by the Council over the 18‑month period covered by their presidencies.