Question

Answer the following question in a paragraph.

Compare and contrast the European Union and the United States as political systems and governing bodies.

Answer 1

The traditional division of government's different tasks is: legislative, executive, and judicial. In the U.S., distinct organizations fulfill each region to "verify" potential abuses and balance each branch. Similarly, there are three major political institutions in the EU that are the executive and legislative branches of the EU, as well as an independent judiciary with the authority to practice judicial review.

The European Union Court of Justice (CJEU) (ECJ) is the EU's largest court in EU law matters. Its autonomous judgments can influence both Member States and people – it is the intermediary in EU law conflicts between Member States, organizations and people.

The President of the European Commission is one of the EU's most strong officeholders, controlling the European Commission (EU's executive arm), which jointly has a monopoly on initiating all EU laws and is accountable for ensuring their implementation. The President is accountable for allocating portfolios to Commission members and, if necessary, may re-mold or reject them. He determines the policy agenda of the Commission and all the legislative suggestions it makes (the Commission is the only body capable of proposing EU laws); no policy can be suggested in practice without the consent of the President.

The U.S. federal government is the U.S. domestic government, a North American federal republic made up of 50 countries, a federal district, five main self-governing regions, and several island properties. The federal government consists of three separate branches: the parliamentary, executive and judicial branches, whose powers are entrusted to the United States. In Congress, respectively, the president and the federal courts. Congressional acts further define the powers and responsibilities of these branches, including the development of executive departments and courts below the Supreme Court.

The only directly elected body representing more than 500 million people is the European Parliament. It is similar in many cases to the U.S. Congress, itself directly elected by the U.S. people to legislate at national level.

EU institutions in brief

• European Parliament
• European Council
• Council of the European Union
• European Commission
• Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU)
• European Central Bank (ECB)
• European Court of Auditors (ECA)