-The European Union is an international organization created by a treaty signed between the Member States as other international organizations such as the Universal Postal Union. However, after analyzing its legal, economic, institutional, political and symbolic dimensions, this international organization draws closer to a federal state than any other organization. The fact that citizens can take legal action against their State or European Institutions before the European Court of Justice, is an indicator of the exceptional degree of cooperation between states and importance given to actors such as the European Parliament, the Commission, or the Civil Society. Therefore, the European Union is a specific type of international organization that is, however different from a federal state. Contrary to Montesquieu's theory of separation of powers, the European Union does not clearly differentiates legislative, executive and judicial powers, but its institutions cooperate, share and exercise the different powers. First, we will see which are the main European Institutions and take a concrete example of their operating system. Then, we will discuss the effects of Europe "à la carte". The European institutional system tries to combine the representation of three types of fundamental interests. The representation of citizens, states and Europe. Citizens are represented by the European Parliament, elected by direct universal suffrage proportional to each state. Member States are represented by the Council of the European Union and the European Council. In the first one sit Ministers of Member States and in the latter, sit Heads of State or Government. Europe is represented by the European Commission, which is chosen by the Parliament and the European Council. Since 1979 and the election by direct universal suffrage of the Parliament, every European Treaty has granted it more legislative power that it shares with the Council of the European Union. The European Parliament does not choose the European budget revenue nor the constitutional amendments, or, in other words, treaties. The European Commission is the third main institution of the European system. It is a standing committee that has, alone, the power to propose to the Parliament and legislate with the Council. It is run by Commissioners proposed by the States and approved by the Parliament. The Commission embodies Europe's general interest. It has judicial powers over the control of the single market. For example, it ordered American companies to pay fines because they used their superiority over the European market. Besides this institutional system is the Court of Justice of the EU, located in Luxembourg, it controls the enforcement of treaties. The European system differs from a classic national democratic system, because the Commission and the Council share the executive power, the Parliament and the Council of the EU share the legislative power with the Commission, which is the only one able to propose a bill. The Court of Justice and the Commission share the judicial power. An oil tanker sinks along the Normandy coast. France, Great Britain and the Netherlands are touched. For the Commission, boat hulls have to be reinforced. It consults Member States, environmental associations and member of the Parliament to collect the necessary information. It also asks the opinion of maritime safety experts. The European Commissioner for Transports proposes a bill. The College of Commissioners has to make a decision voted by a relative majority. They send it to the Parliament and the Council. There are 751 Deputies in the Parliament from the 28 Member States. They sit by political color, not nationality. They elect a rapporteur for the Parliament's Transports Commission. When this Commission accepts amendments to the proposition of the Commission, it is sent to the Council of the EU after being accepted by the Plenary Assembly. The Council of the European Union for the Transports, which gathers the Ministers for Transport of all Member States, either accepts the proposition of the Parliament or amends it. The decision is made by a qualified majority, thus preventing big States from deciding without the little ones and vice versa. This moderation favors little states. Since November 1st, 2014, a qualified majority is reached if it unites at least 55% of Member States amounting to at least 65% of EU's population. The bill is either passed, which happens in about 80% of cases, or the Parliament can come back to the amendments proposed by the Council or reject it. If the text is amended, the Council can accept or refuse it. The Parliament and the Council have to reach an agreement for the proposition to be accepted. If they cannot, they can appoint a Conciliation Committee composed of Parliament and Council members. This committee can propose a compromise, that both institutions must accept or reject. For the implementation, States take some measures that must reinforce boat hulls, in our case. The Commission can take other measures regarding, for instance, maritime spaces control. In this case, experts committees control the Commission. In case of non-compliance of the common decision by the States or the Commission, it can be brought in action before the Court of Justice. Not every Member States of the European Union is part of the euro or Schengen areas. How can we have one governance in such a diversified Europe? This is why European Union's reality is very complex. Paul is French and visits Ireland. He is in the European Union and uses euros, but has to show his ID at the border because he is not in the Schengen area. Mokhtar is German and goes to Norway by boat. He is not in the EU, does not use euros, but does not have to show his ID, because Norway is part of Schengen. Alicia is Spanish, she visits Romania. She is in the European Union but she does not have euros and shows her ID, because Romania is not in the Schengen area. The governance of this two-tier Europe has become complex. The Schengen area is managed by the Commission, the Parliament and the Council, even if not all Member States are part of it but external states, like Iceland, are. For the euro area, Ministers for Finance of the European Union elect a euro-area President and, together, decide the actions to implement to make the Monetary Union work. The EU is more integrated than a classic international organization. It shares powers rather than divide them and its institutional system tends to adapt to an "à la carte" governance, but this two-speed balance is dangerous and unstable.
