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Agencies of the European Union
Distinct body of the European Union
Distinct body of the European Union
The European Union and Euratom have agencies, decentralised independent bodies, corporate bodies and joint undertakings which are established as juridical persons through secondary EU legislation and tasked with a specific narrow field of work. They are a part of the wider set of bodies of the European Union and Euratom and are therefore distinct from:
- international law juridical persons established through primary (treaty) legislation, either as an EU institution (the European Central Bank) or as an EU body of another type (such as the European Investment Bank Group entities, the European University Institute, the European Stability Mechanism or the Unified Patent Court)
- other EU institutions
- other EU bodies lacking juridical personality, including the advisory bodies, the independent offices held by a single person (European Ombudsman, European Data Protection Supervisor), and the (non-independent, auxiliary) EU inter-institutional services, regardless of whether established through treaty or through secondary legislation
- the pan-EU organisational forms which are not considered constituent bodies of the EU or Euratom, regardless of whether possessing juridical personality (European Research Infrastructure Consortium, European political party, European political foundation, European grouping of territorial cooperation, Societas Europaea, Societas Cooperativa Europaea) or lacking it (European economic interest grouping)
Overview
In contrast to other EU bodies established through secondary legislation, each of more than fifty such entities has its own juridical personality granted by the EU law, recognised across the EU, and in some cases, also across the EEA countries, Switzerland, Serbia, Ukraine, the United Kingdom and Turkey. Nevertheless, in relations with other non-EU third countries, they are in general not recognised as independent entities, thus being considered either parts of the juridical personality of the EU or Euratom.
Some of the agencies, decentralised independent bodies and joint undertakings of the European Union and Euratom are tasked with answering the need to develop scientific or technical know-how in certain fields, others bring together different interest groups to facilitate dialogue at European and international level.
Existing agencies
They are divided into the following groups:
Decentralised agencies of the EU
Distinct from the EU institutions, the agencies of the European Union are specialist bodies set up to advise the Institutions and Member States in areas that affect everyone living in the Union. They are located in member states across the EU, providing services, information, and know-how. The total budget of all the decentralised agencies is approximately 0.8% of the EU's annual budget.
Single market agencies
| Official name | Abbreviation | Location | Member state | Est. | Members and observers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| European Agency for Safety and Health at Work | EU-OSHA | Bilbao | Spain | 1994 | members: EU states, European Commission |
| European Centre for the Development of Professional Training | Cedefop | Thessaloniki | Greece | 1975 | members: EU states |
| observers: Iceland, Norway | |||||
| European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions | EUROFOUND | Dublin | Ireland | 1975 | members: EU states, European Commission |
| observers: EFTA | |||||
| European Environment Agency | EEA | Copenhagen | Denmark | 1994 | members: EU states, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland, Turkey |
| co-operating: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia | |||||
| European Training Foundation | ETF | Turin | Italy | 1994 | members: EU states, European Commission |
| European Medicines Agency | EMA | Amsterdam (since 2019) | |||
| London (1995–2019) | Netherlands | ||||
| (UK until 2019) | 1995 | members: EU states, European Commission, European Parliament | |||
| observers: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway | |||||
| European Union Intellectual Property Office | EUIPO | Alicante | Spain | 1994 | members: EU states, European Commission |
| Community Plant Variety Office | CPVO | Angers | France | 1994 | members: EU states, European Commission |
| Translation Centre for the Bodies of the European Union | CdT | Luxembourg City | Luxembourg | 1994 | members: EU states, European Commission |
| European Food Safety Authority | EFSA | Parma | Italy | 2002 | members: EU states |
| observers European Commission, Iceland, Norway, Switzerland | |||||
| European Maritime Safety Agency | EMSA | Lisbon | Portugal | 2002 | members: EU states, European Commission, Iceland, Norway |
| European Aviation Safety Agency | EASA | Cologne | Germany | 2003 | members: EU states, European Commission, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland |
| observers: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, UNMIK | |||||
| European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control | ECDC | Stockholm | Sweden | 2005 | members: EU states, European Commission, European Parliament |
| observers: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway | |||||
| European Union Agency for the Space Programme | EUSPA | Prague | Czech Republic | 2021 | members: EU states, European Commission |
| observers: Norway, European Space Agency | |||||
| European Railway Agency | ERA | Valenciennes and Lille | France | 2004 | members: EU states, European Commission, Norway |
| European Fisheries Control Agency | EFCA | Vigo | Spain | 2005 | members: EU states, European Commission |
| European Chemicals Agency | ECHA | Helsinki | Finland | 2007 | members: EU states, European Commission, European Parliament |
| observers: Iceland, Norway | |||||
| Agency for Support for BEREC | BEREC Office | Riga | Latvia | 2010 | members: EU states, European Commission |
| Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators | ACER | Ljubljana | Slovenia | 2009 | |
| European Labour Authority | ELA | Bratislava | Slovakia | 2019 | members: EU states, European Commission, European Parliament |
| EU Customs Authority | EUCA | TBD (competition among Member States ongoing) | TBD (competition among Member States ongoing) | TBD |
Area of freedom, security and justice agencies
| Official name | Abbreviation | Location | Member state | Est. | Members and observers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Training | CEPOL | Budapest (since 2014) | |||
| Bramshill (2005–2014) | Hungary | ||||
| (UK till 2014) | 2005 | members: EU states without Denmark | |||
| associates: Iceland, Norway, Switzerland | |||||
| European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation | Europol | The Hague | Netherlands | 1998 | members: EU states |
| European body for the enhancement of judicial co-operation | Eurojust | The Hague | Netherlands | 2002 | members: EU states |
| European Agency for the operational management of large-scale IT Systems in the area of freedom, security and justice | eu-LISA | Tallinn | Estonia | 2012 | |
| European Border and Coast Guard Agency | Frontex | Warsaw | Poland | 2016 | members: EU states, except Ireland, Schengen Area states not members of the EU |
| European Union Drugs Agency | EUDA | Lisbon | Portugal | 1993 | members: EU states, European Commission, European Parliament, Norway |
| observers: Turkey | |||||
| European Union Agency for Cybersecurity | ENISA | Athens | Greece | 2005 | members: EU states |
| European Union Agency for Asylum | EUAA | Valletta | Malta | 2011 | |
| European Institute for Gender Equality | EIGE | Vilnius | Lithuania | 2007 | members: EU states |
| European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights | FRA | Vienna | Austria | 2007 | members: EU states, European Commission, Council of Europe |
| Authority for Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism | AMLA | Frankfurt | Germany | 2024 | members: EU states |
European supervisory authorities
European supervisory authorities (of the European System of Financial Supervision)
| Official name | Abbreviation | Location | Member state | Est. | Members and observers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| European Banking Authority | EBA | Paris (since 2019) | |||
| London (2011–2019) | France | ||||
| (UK till 2019) | 2011 | ||||
| European Securities and Markets Authority | ESMA | Paris | France | 2011 | |
| European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority | EIOPA | Frankfurt | Germany | 2011 |
Banking union (Single Resolution Mechanism) bodies
Single Resolution Mechanism bodies (of the European banking union)
| Official name | Abbreviation | Location | Member state | Est. | Members and observers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single Resolution Board | SRB | Brussels | Belgium | 2015 | Eurozone countries, Bulgaria |
Common Security and Defence Policy agencies
Common Security and Defence Policy agencies (under the former II Pillar)
| Official name | Abbreviation | Location | Member state | Est. | Members and observers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| European Defence Agency | EDA | Brussels | Belgium | 2004 | Members: EU states; European Commission |
| Participant: Norway | |||||
| European Institute for Security Studies | EUISS | Paris | France | 2001 | |
| European Union Satellite Centre | SatCen | Torrejón de Ardoz | Spain | 2002 |
Executive agencies of the EU
Executive agencies are created by the European Commission for a fixed period.
| Official name | Abbreviation | Location |
|---|---|---|
| European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency | EISMEA | Brussels |
| European Education and Culture Executive Agency | EACEA | Brussels |
| European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency | CINEA | Brussels |
| European Research Executive Agency | REA | Brussels |
| European Research Council Executive Agency | ERCEA | Brussels |
| European Health and Digital Executive Agency | HaDEA | Brussels |
Euratom agencies
| Official name | Abbreviation | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Euratom Supply Agency | ESA | Luxembourg City |
Joint undertakings
A joint undertaking is a juridical person and a subsidiary body of the EU or Euratom, established through an agreement between the European Commission, the participating member states, and the European industry of a certain field, with the purpose of implementing a public-private partnership project.
of the European Union
| Official name | Abbreviation |
|---|---|
| Bio-based Industries | BBI |
| Clean Sky | CS |
| Electronic Components and Systems | ECSEL |
| Fuel Cells and Hydrogen | FCH |
| High-Performance Computing | EuroHPC |
| Innovative Medicines Initiative | IMI |
| Single European Sky Air Traffic Management Research | SESAR |
| Shift-2-Rail | S2R |
of Euratom
| Official name | Abbreviation |
|---|---|
| Fusion for Energy | F4E |
| Joint European Torus | JET |
Independent secondary-legislation bodies
Decentralised
The list includes the two decentralised bodies other than agencies, established as EU juridical persons through secondary legislation of the EU/Euratom.
| Official name | Abbrev. | Location | Member state | Members and associates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| European Institute of Innovation and Technology | EIT | Budapest | Hungary | Members: EEA countries, Switzerland; associates: the United Kingdom |
| European Public Prosecutor's Office | EPPO | Luxembourg City | Luxembourg | Members: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Spain |
Other
The list includes the remaining two bodies other than agencies, decentralised bodies or joint undertakings, established as EU juridical persons through secondary legislation of the EU/Euratom.
| Official name | Abbreviation | Location | Member state | Est. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| European Data Protection Board | EDPB | Brussels | Belgium | 2018 |
| Authority for European Political Parties and European Political Foundations | APPF | Brussels | Belgium | 2014 |
Non-existing decentralised bodies
Proposed and abandoned
| Name | Abbreviation | Fate |
|---|---|---|
| Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority | HERA | Eventually established as DG HERA instead. |
Transformed or dissolved
Agencies
| Official name | Abbreviation | Location | Member state | Established | Abolished | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia | EUMC | Vienna | Austria | 1997 | 2007 | Transformed into FRA |
| European Agency for Reconstruction | EAR | Thessaloniki | Greece | 2000 | 2008 | Dissolved; tasks assigned to DG NEAR and IPA |
| Consumers, Health, Agriculture and Food Executive Agency | Chafea | Luxembourg City | Luxembourg | 2005 | 2015 | Dissolved; tasks assigned to DG SANTE and to HaDEA |
| European GNSS Supervisory Authority | GSA | undef. | undef. | 2004 | 2010 | Transformed into the second GSA |
| European GNSS Agency | GSA | Prague | Czech Republic | 2010 | 2021 | Transformed into EUSPA |
| European Agency for the Management of Operational Cooperation at the | ||||||
| External Borders of the Member States of the European Union | Frontex | Warsaw | Poland | 2005 | 2016 | Transformed into current Frontex |
Euratom joint undertakings
- Schnell-Brüter- Kernkraftwerksgesellschaft mbH' (SBK)
- Hochtemperatur- Kernkraftwerk GmbH (HKG)
References
Notes
References
- Anonymous. (5 July 2016). "Agencies and other EU bodies – European Union – European Commission".
- European Commission. (27 April 2018). "Decentralised agencies". Europa (web portal).
- Deloitte. (November 2016). "How do EU agencies and other bodies contribute to the Europe 2020 Strategy and to the Juncker Commission Agenda?". European Union.
- (1 January 2000). "OSHA membership". Europa (web portal).
- "Cedefop membership". Europa (web portal).
- (3 June 2010). "EUROFOUND membership". Europa (web portal).
- "EEA membership". Europa (web portal).
- (1 June 2009). "ETF membership". Europa (web portal).
- (20 November 2017). "Paris and Amsterdam to host key EU agencies post-Brexit". [[BBC News]].
- "EMA membership". Europa (web portal).
- Former Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market
- Former OHIM
- "OHIM membership".
- "CPVO membership". Europa (web portal).
- (December 2017). "CdT membership}}{{dead link".
- (24 March 2011). "EMSA membership". Europa (web portal).
- "EASA members". Europa (web portal).
- "EASA observers". Europa (web portal).
- "ECDC observers". Europa (web portal).
- (27 November 2019). "From GSA to EUSPA: space transforming business and the economy".
- "GSA observers". Europa (web portal).
- "ERA observers". Europa (web portal).
- "CFCA membership". Europa (web portal).
- "ECHA membership". Europa (web portal).
- (25 November 2009). "About BEREC". Erg.eu.int.
- "European Labour Authority – Employment, Social Affairs & Inclusion". European Commission.
- "European Labour Authority". Europa.
- "Selection of the seat of the European Union Customs Authority (EUCA)". European Commission.
- "Police Colleges". Europa.
- "Regulation (EU) No 1077/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2011 establishing a European Agency for the operational management of large-scale IT systems in the area of freedom, security and justice". EUR-Lex.
- "Agencies". European Commission.
- "European Agency for the operational management of large-scale IT systems in the area of freedom, security and justice (eu-LISA)".
- Valentina Pop. (October 11, 2010). "Estonia and France are candidates for IT agency seat". EUobserver.
- (2016-10-06). "European Border and Coast Guard Agency launches today". Europa.
- "EUDA Management Board". Europa.
- "Regulation (EC) No 460/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 10 March 2004 establishing the European Network and Information Security Agency (Text with EEA relevance)". Europa.
- "Regulation (EC) No 1922/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 December 2006 on establishing a European Institute for Gender Equality". EUR-Lex.
- (15 April 2011). "FRA membership". Europa (web portal).
- "EBA legal framework". Europa (web portal).
- "ESMA legal framework". Europa (web portal).
- "EIOPA legal framework". Europa (web portal).
- "Denmark joins the European Defence Agency".
- (8 June 2017). "Ministry of Justice: New European Public Prosecutor's Office to be based in Luxembourg".
- . (1 June 2021). ["Joint Statement by Vice-President Jourová, Commissioner Hahn and Commissioner Reynders on the launch of the European Public Prosecutor's Office"](https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/statement_21_2755). *European Commission*.
- "Authority for European Political Parties and European Political Foundations". Europa (web portal).
- "European Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA)".
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