bodies of the European Union and Euratom

{{Main|Institutions of the European Union}}

The Treaty on European Union in Article 13 lists seven institutions of the European Union, including one which is an international entity (the European Central Bank).

In addition, the European Investment Bank is the European Union's long-term lending institution. The EIB supports the EU's priority objectives, especially boosting sustainable growth and job creation. The Group also includes the European Investment Fund and the EIB Institute.{{cite web|title=About the EIB|publisher=European Investment Bank|url=http://www.eib.org/about/index.htm|access-date=2 August 2007}}

{{main|European University Institute}}

{{main|European Stability Mechanism}}

{{main|Unified Patent Court}}

{{Main|Advisory bodies to the European Union}}

There are a number of other bodies and agencies of note that are not formal institutions. There are two consultative committees to the EU institutions: the Economic and Social Committee (EESC) advises on economic and social policy (principally relations between workers and employers) being made up of representatives of various industries and work sectors. Its 344 members (with an additional nine members joining following the accession of Croatia to the EU), appointed by the council for four-year terms, are organised into three fairly equal groups representing employers, employees and other various interests;{{cite web|title=The European Economic and Social Committee|publisher=Europa (web portal)|url=http://eesc.europa.eu/organisation/how/index_en.asp|access-date=2 August 2007 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070625154812/http://www.eesc.europa.eu/organisation/how/index_en.asp |archive-date = 25 June 2007}} while the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) is composed of representative of regional and local authorities who hold an electoral mandate. It advises on regional issues. It has 344 members, organised in political groups, appointed every four years by the council.{{cite web|title=Presentation / Role|publisher=Europa (web portal)|url=http://www.cor.europa.eu/en/presentation/fact_sheet.htm|access-date=2 August 2007 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070609111203/http://www.cor.europa.eu/en/presentation/fact_sheet.htm |archive-date = 9 June 2007}}

{{main|European Ombudsman}}

The European Ombudsman deals with citizens grievances against the Union's institutions and is elected for five-year terms by the Parliament.

{{Main|Agencies of the European Union}}

A number of decentralised, executive and Eurarom agencies, decentralised independent bodies and joint undertakings exist, which are bodies of the EU or Euratom established as juridical persons through secondary EU legislation. These include the European Environment Agency and Europol.{{cite web|title=Agencies of the EU|publisher=Europa (webportal)|url=http://europa.eu/agencies/index_en.htm|access-date=2 August 2007}}

There are also three inter-institutional bodies lacking juridical personality: the Publications Office, the oldest one, which publishes and distributes official publications from the European Union bodies;{{cite web|title=Activities|publisher=Europa (web portal)|url=http://publications.europa.eu/about_us/index_en.htm|access-date=2 August 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070909162509/http://publications.europa.eu/about_us/index_en.htm|archive-date=2007-09-09|url-status=dead}} and the two relatively new: the European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO), a recruitment body which organises competitions for posts within Union institutions;{{cite web|title=European Personnel Selection Office|publisher=Europa (web portal)|url=http://europa.eu/epso/index_en.htm|access-date=2 August 2007}} and the European Administrative School, which provides specific training for the staff of Union institutions.{{cite web|title=Welcome to the eas|publisher=Europa (web portal)|url=http://europa.eu/eas/index_en.htm|access-date=2 August 2007}}

Another body is the anti-fraud office OLAF whose mission is to protect the financial interests of the European Union.{{cite web|title=OLAF|publisher=Europa (web portal)|url=http://ec.europa.eu/anti_fraud/index_en.html|access-date=2 August 2007}}

The European Data Protection Supervisor ensures the institutions respect citizens' privacy rights in relation to data processing.{{cite web|title=Welcome to the home page of the European Data Protection Supervisor |publisher=Europa (web portal) |url=http://www.edps.europa.eu/EDPSWEB/edps/site/mySite/lang/en/pid/1 |access-date=2 August 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070709102535/http://www.edps.europa.eu/EDPSWEB/edps/site/mySite/lang/en/pid/1 |archive-date=9 July 2007 |url-status=dead }}

Established by Regulation 1141/2014, the Authority for European Political Parties and European Political Foundations (APPF) is in charge of registering, controlling and imposing sanctions on European political parties and European political foundations.{{cite act |type=Regulation (EU, Euratom) |index=1141/2014 |date=22 October 2014 |article=Article 6 |legislature=European Parliament and Council of the European Union |title=Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 1141/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 October 2014 on the statute and funding of European political parties and European political foundations |url=https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32014R1141 |language=en}}

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• Glossary of European Union concepts, acronyms, and jargon
• List of the names of bodies of the European Union in its official languages