Topics and Questions We Can Help You To Answer:
Paper Instructions:

When Europeans look to the EU to enact regulations or new policies governing the member states, sometimes it is the European Commission that will play the leading role in the steps from proposal to enactment. Sometimes it will be the European Council. Sometimes it will be the European Parliament. Each institution tends to represent a different "constituency", influencing the goals and nature of policies created by that institution's leadership in the policy making process.

Using the module lectures as a guide and the Europa web site on institutions (http://europa.eu/about-eu/institutions-bodies/index_en.htm) as a source of examples choose a specific area of EU policy that demonstrates the most extreme differences that you can find in the role of the above institutions in the making of policy (for example: the European Commission driving the entire policy design process with the European Parliament barely involved; or the European Council having nearly full control over the policy area.) Comment on how the primary constituency of that institution might effect the policy choices made for the policy area you have chosen as your example. Finally, briefly comment on what the strengths and weaknesses are for each of the above institutions from the standpoint of building an effective European Union, as guided by the example you have chosen.