The document outlines the key institutions that make up how the European Union works, including the European Commission comprised of 27 Commissioners, the European Parliament with 754 Members of European Parliament across various committees and political groups, and the European Council representing the member states. It also describes the ordinary legislative procedure between these institutions, involving lead and opinion committees, rapporteurs, amendments, and votes in committees and plenary sessions of the European Parliament.

1. HOW THE EU WORKS

2. European Commission
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27 Commissioners and their “Cabinets”

33 Directorates General (DG)
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Units

3. European Parliament
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754 MEPs
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20 Committees (LIBE, ITRE, JURI)
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Non-political secretariat
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Political groups (ALDE, EPP, Greens/EFA, etc.)
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Own staff (for ex. on http://eppgroup.eu)

4. European Parliament 2009-2014

5. European Council
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Member States and their “Perm Reps”
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More than 150 Committees and Working groups
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Presidency: Jul-Dec 2012: Cyprus, Jan-Jun 2013:
Ireland

6. Ordinary Legislative Procedure
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legislature_of_the_European_Union#Ordinary_legislative_procedure

7. European Parliament
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One “lead Committee”
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Opinion Committees
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Rapporteur and Shadow rapporteurs
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Discussions in Committee meetings
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Amendments
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Vote in Committees
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Vote in Plenary

8. EDRi papers: Activist guide
Top ten advocacy tips:
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01 Be early.
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02 Be reliable.
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03 Be honest.
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04 Be understanding.
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05 Be nice!
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06 Be thorough.
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07 Be brief.
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08 Be consistent.
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09 Be personal.
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10 Be a bridge builder.

9. Useful Links:
https://pad.foebud.org/HowEU
EDRi booklet: “Activist guide through the Brussels
maze”
http://edri.org/papers