Article I-19 - The Union's institutions (#)

1. The Union shall have an institutional framework which shall aim to:
-- promote its values,
-- advance its objectives,
-- serve its interests, those of its citizens and those of the Member States,
-- ensure the consistency, effectiveness and continuity of its policies and actions.
This institutional framework comprises:
-- The European Parliament,
-- The European Council,
-- The Council of Ministers (hereinafter referred to as the `Council'),

-- The European Commission (hereinafter referred to as the `Commission'),
-- The Court of Justice of the European Union.
2. Each institution shall act within the limits of the powers conferred on it in the Constitution, and
in conformity with the procedures and conditions set out in it. The institutions shall practise mutual
sincere cooperation.

Article I-20 - The European Parliament (#)

1. The European Parliament shall, jointly with the Council, exercise legislative and budgetary
functions. It shall exercise functions of political control and consultation as laid down in the
Constitution. It shall elect the President of the Commission.
2. The European Parliament shall be composed of representatives of the Union's citizens. They shall
not exceed seven hundred and fifty in number. Representation of citizens shall be degressively
proportional, with a minimum threshold of six members per Member State. No Member State shall
be allocated more than ninety-six seats.
The European Council shall adopt by unanimity, on the initiative of the European Parliament and
with its consent, a European decision establishing the composition of the European Parliament,
respecting the principles referred to in the first subparagraph.
3. The members of the European Parliament shall be elected for a term of five years by direct
universal suffrage in a free and secret ballot.
4. The European Parliament shall elect its President and its officers from among its members.

Article I-21 - The European Council (#)

1. The European Council shall provide the Union with the necessary impetus for its development
and shall define the general political directions and priorities thereof. It shall not exercise legislative
functions.
2. The European Council shall consist of the Heads of State or Government of the Member States,
together with its President and the President of the Commission. The Union Minister for Foreign
Affairs shall take part in its work.
3. The European Council shall meet quarterly, convened by its President. When the agenda so
requires, the members of the European Council may decide each to be assisted by a minister and, in
the case of the President of the Commission, by a member of the Commission. When the situation so
requires, the President shall convene a special meeting of the European Council.
4. Except where the Constitution provides otherwise, decisions of the European Council shall be
taken by consensus.

Article I-22 - The European Council President (#)

1. The European Council shall elect its President, by a qualified majority, for a term of two and a
half years, renewable once. In the event of an impediment or serious misconduct, the European
Council can end his or her term of office in accordance with the same procedure.
2. The President of the European Council:
(a) shall chair it and drive forward its work;
(b) shall ensure the preparation and continuity of the work of the European Council in cooperation
with the President of the Commission, and on the basis of the work of the General Affairs
Council;
(c) shall endeavour to facilitate cohesion and consensus within the European Council;
(d) shall present a report to the European Parliament after each of the meetings of the
European Council.
The President of the European Council shall, at his or her level and in that capacity, ensure the
external representation of the Union on issues concerning its common foreign and security policy,
without prejudice to the powers of the Union Minister for Foreign Affairs.
3. The President of the European Council shall not hold a national office.

Article I-23 - The Council of Ministers (#)

1. The Council shall, jointly with the European Parliament, exercise legislative and budgetary
functions. It shall carry out policy-making and coordinating functions as laid down in the
Constitution.
2. The Council shall consist of a representative of each Member State at ministerial level, who may
commit the government of the Member State in question and cast its vote.
3. The Council shall act by a qualified majority except where the Constitution provides otherwise.

Article I-24 - Configurations of the Council of Ministers (#)

1. The Council shall meet in different configurations.
2. The General Affairs Council shall ensure consistency in the work of the different Council
configurations.

It shall prepare and ensure the follow-up to meetings of the European Council, in liaison with the
President of the European Council and the Commission.
3. The Foreign Affairs Council shall elaborate the Union's external action on the basis of strategic
guidelines laid down by the European Council and ensure that the Union's action is consistent.
4. The European Council shall adopt by a qualified majority a European decision establishing the
list of other Council configurations.
5. A Committee of Permanent Representatives of the Governments of the Member States shall be
responsible for preparing the work of the Council.
6. The Council shall meet in public when it deliberates and votes on a draft legislative act. To this
end, each Council meeting shall be divided into two parts, dealing respectively with deliberations on
Union legislative acts and non-legislative activities.
7. The Presidency of Council configurations, other than that of Foreign Affairs, shall be held by
Member State representatives in the Council on the basis of equal rotation, in accordance with the
conditions established by a European decision of the European Council. The European Council shall
act by a qualified majority.

Article I-25 - Definition of qualified majority within the European Council and the Council (#)

1. A qualified majority shall be defined as at least 55 % of the members of the Council, comprising
at least fifteen of them and representing Member States comprising at least 65 % of the population of
the Union.
A blocking minority must include at least four Council members, failing which the qualified majority
shall be deemed attained.
2. By way of derogation from paragraph 1, when the Council does not act on a proposal from the
Commission or from the Union Minister for Foreign Affairs, the qualified majority shall be defined as
at least 72 % of the members of the Council, representing Member States comprising at least 65 % of
the population of the Union.
3. Paragraphs 1 and 2 shall apply to the European Council when it is acting by a qualified majority.
4. Within the European Council, its President and the President of the Commission shall not take
part in the vote.

Article I-26 - The European Commission (#)

1. The Commission shall promote the general interest of the Union and take appropriate initiatives
to that end. It shall ensure the application of the Constitution, and measures adopted by the
institutions pursuant to the Constitution. It shall oversee the application of Union law under the
control of the Court of Justice of the European Union. It shall execute the budget and manage

programmes. It shall exercise coordinating, executive and management functions, as laid down in the
Constitution. With the exception of the common foreign and security policy, and other cases
provided for in the Constitution, it shall ensure the Union's external representation. It shall initiate
the Union's annual and multiannual programming with a view to achieving interinstitutional
agreements.
2. Union legislative acts may be adopted only on the basis of a Commission proposal, except where
the Constitution provides otherwise. Other acts shall be adopted on the basis of a Commission
proposal where the Constitution so provides.
3. The Commission's term of office shall be five years.
4. The members of the Commission shall be chosen on the ground of their general competence and
European commitment from persons whose independence is beyond doubt.
5. The first Commission appointed under the provisions of the Constitution shall consist of one
national of each Member State, including its President and the Union Minister for Foreign Affairs who
shall be one of its Vice-Presidents.
6. As from the end of the term of office of the Commission referred to in paragraph 5, the
Commission shall consist of a number of members, including its President and the Union Minister for
Foreign Affairs, corresponding to two thirds of the number of Member States, unless the European
Council, acting unanimously, decides to alter this number.
The members of the Commission shall be selected from among the nationals of the Member States
on the basis of a system of equal rotation between the Member States. This system shall be
established by a European decision adopted unanimously by the European Council and on the basis
of the following principles:
(a) Member states shall be treated on a strictly equal footing as regards determination of the
sequence of, and the time spent by, their nationals as members of the commission; consequently,
the difference between the total number of terms of office held by nationals of any given pair of
Member States may never be more than one;
(b) subject to point (a), each successive Commission shall be so composed as to reflect satisfactorily
the demographic and geographical range of all the Member States.
7. In carrying out its responsibilities, the Commission shall be completely independent. Without
prejudice to Article I-28(2), the members of the Commission shall neither seek nor take instructions
from any government or other institution, body, office or entity. They shall refrain from any action
incompatible with their duties or the performance of their tasks.
8. The Commission, as a body, shall be responsible to the European Parliament. In accordance with
Article III-340, the European Parliament may vote on a censure motion on the Commission. If such a
motion is carried, the members of the Commission shall resign as a body and the Union Minister for
Foreign Affairs shall resign from the duties that he or she carries out in the Commission.

Article I-27 - The President of the European Commission (#)

1. Taking into account the elections to the European Parliament and after having held the
appropriate consultations, the European Council, acting by a qualified majority, shall propose to the
European Parliament a candidate for President of the Commission. This candidate shall be elected by
the European Parliament by a majority of its component members. If he or she does not obtain the
required majority, the European Council, acting by a qualified majority, shall within one month
propose a new candidate who shall be elected by the European Parliament following the same
procedure.
2. The Council, by common accord with the President-elect, shall adopt the list of the other persons
whom it proposes for appointment as members of the Commission. They shall be selected, on the
basis of the suggestions made by Member States, in accordance with the criteria set out in Article I-26
(4) and (6), second subparagraph.
The President, the Union Minister for Foreign Affairs and the other members of the Commission shall
be subject as a body to a vote of consent by the European Parliament. On the basis of this consent the
Commission shall be appointed by the European Council, acting by a qualified majority.
3. The President of the Commission shall:
(a) lay down guidelines within which the Commission is to work;
(b) decide on the internal organisation of the Commission, ensuring that it acts consistently,
efficiently and as a collegiate body;
(c) appoint Vice-Presidents, other than the Union Minister for Foreign Affairs, from among the
members of the Commission.
A member of the Commission shall resign if the President so requests. The Union Minister for
Foreign Affairs shall resign, in accordance with the procedure set out in article I-28(1), if the President
so requests.

Article I-28 - The Union Minister for Foreign Affairs (#)

1. The European Council, acting by a qualified majority, with the agreement of the President of the
Commission, shall appoint the Union Minister for Foreign Affairs. The European Council may end his
or her term of office by the same procedure.
2. The Union Minister for Foreign Affairs shall conduct the Union's common foreign and security
policy. He or she shall contribute by his or her proposals to the development of that policy, which he
or she shall carry out as mandated by the Council. The same shall apply to the common security and
defence policy.
3. The Union Minister for Foreign Affairs shall preside over the Foreign Affairs Council.

4. The Union Minister for Foreign Affairs shall be one of the Vice-Presidents of the Commission. He
or she shall ensure the consistency of the Union's external action. He or she shall be responsible
within the Commission for responsibilities incumbent on it in external relations and for coordinating
other aspects of the Union's external action. In exercising these responsibilities within the
Commission, and only for these responsibilities, the Union Minister for Foreign Affairs shall be
bound by Commission procedures to the extent that this is consistent with paragraphs 2 and 3.

Article I-29 - The Court of Justice of the European Union (#)

1. The Court of Justice of the European Union shall include the Court of Justice, the General Court
and specialised courts. It shall ensure that in the interpretation and application of the Constitution
the law is observed.
Member States shall provide remedies sufficient to ensure effective legal protection in the fields
covered by Union law.
2. The Court of Justice shall consist of one judge from each Member State. It shall be assisted by
Advocates-General.
The General Court shall include at least one judge per Member State.
The Judges and the Advocates-General of the Court of Justice and the Judges of the General Court
shall be chosen from persons whose independence is beyond doubt and who satisfy the conditions
set out in Articles III-355 and III-356. They shall be appointed by common accord of the
governments of the Member States for six years. Retiring Judges and Advocates-General may be
reappointed.
3. The Court of Justice of the European Union shall in accordance with Part III:
(a) rule on actions brought by a Member State, an institution or a natural or legal person;
(b) give preliminary rulings, at the request of courts or tribunals of the Member States, on the
interpretation of Union law or the validity of acts adopted by the institutions;
(c) rule in other cases provided for in the Constitution.