in very simple terms, the present situation might be described as follows: the EU has law-making institutions, including a Council composed of Ministers who are members of national governments of the member states, and a directly elected European Parliament. The Council and the Parliament share the power of co-deciding legislative, administrative and budgetary acts, which are proposed by the Commission. The Commission, which exercises the powers conferred on it by the Council for the implementation of (EU) law, also ensures that this law is applied and may take a member state to Court if it fails to fulfil its obligations. The Parliament shares with the member states the power to approve the appointment of the President of the Commission and of the Commission as a whole; the Parliament has also the power to remove the Commission from office. The laws adopted by these institutions within the fields of power of the (EU) are superior to the laws of the member states and may have direct effects on the citizens of the Union.