0:03 this upcoming spring we Europeans will
0:07 be presented with a ballot will be asked
0:09 to voice our opinions concerns and hopes
0:12 about our union and a future to the vote
0:15 for a European Parliament but what's in
0:20 that vote is it just a box ticked no the
0:23 continent of Europe is old its people
0:24 have fought States and their governments
0:27 for inclusion peace and democracy for
0:30 centuries ever greater parts of society
0:32 have come under the sway of that
0:34 brilliant Greek and European invention
0:39 one-person one-vote in the past decades
0:41 of globalization Europe has increasingly
0:44 worked from its shared values presenting
0:46 a united front in trade environmental
0:50 laws animal and human rights but you
0:53 can't vote for a continent the continent
0:56 of Europe may be old but it's European
0:59 Union is just about 70 the Schengen zone
1:03 30 its currency the Euro 20 and our
1:05 direct vote for its Parliament and
1:09 they're 40 years old so what's in this
1:12 vote how will it move the --use jumble
1:14 of commissions councils courts and
1:16 Parliament's and what's really at stake
1:19 in the election it's complicated but
1:22 bear with us we'll attempt to make sense
1:24 of it with you and put the European
1:27 Parliament in its context the same
1:29 ancient Greek wisdom of democracy has
1:31 taught us to group the governing powers
1:33 into three separate ones legislative
1:36 executive and judicial the Trias
1:40 politica first the legislative power
1:43 drawing up the union's laws and budget
1:45 like in most governments this is done
1:48 between two houses the European
1:50 Parliament is the house representing us
1:53 as Europeans this is where your upcoming
1:56 vote will go representing the Member
1:58 States own interests we see the National
1:59 ministers in the Council of the European
2:02 Union the European Commission is there
2:05 to help find agreement between the two
2:08 next the executive power for current
2:11 business and handling the union's crises
2:14 full of public bodies and officials but
2:18 topped by one the European Council this
2:19 puts our own Prime Minister's or
2:21 presidents in charge of the Union
2:23 together guided by a president of its
2:27 own in this executive branch you'll also
2:28 find the Council of the European Union
2:30 and the European Commission in an
2:33 executive capacity making proposals and
2:36 seeing to their follow-up the
2:38 Commission's president sits in with the
2:41 European Council and finally there is
2:43 the European Central Bank with a
2:46 president of its own same as in our home
2:49 government or other executive bodies and
2:50 agencies we thankfully don't need to
2:55 know what counts is this the whole of
2:57 the EU executive answers to the European
3:00 or the home Parliament's or to both and
3:04 to the courts which brings us to the
3:08 third the judicial branch the EU is
3:11 called one judge from each country they
3:14 independently try cases involving member
3:16 states institutions and even citizens
3:19 and businesses so much for the context
3:24 but it's not just context separation of
3:26 powers have proven to make for balance
3:29 government and open society the Union
3:32 separation of powers beats even that of
3:34 some of its member states only the
3:36 Commission and the Council of the
3:39 European Union combined functions they
3:41 can change their executive hat for a
3:44 legislative one now about your upcoming
3:48 vote in the European Parliament it's 700
3:50 plus members sit in Europe wide groups
3:52 on a spectrum from left to right just
3:56 like national parliaments it has three roles
3:56 roles
3:59 it speaks our minds as Europeans in
4:02 legislation just recently it voted EU
4:04 rules for purposing on the Internet EU
4:07 labor rules EU laws to cut cross-border
4:09 phone bills and laws against plastic
4:13 pollution it summons before it the men
4:15 and women of power both European and
4:17 national to question them in public and
4:22 call them to account essentially it is
4:24 the one theatre to stage the great
4:24 issues of our
4:27 Continent today's main issue is the
4:29 clash between two convictions between
4:32 nationalism and multilateralism the
4:34 European Union itself embodies
4:37 multilateralism the philosophy that
4:38 states are better off when they renounce
4:40 violence and intimidation between
4:42 themselves and commit to peace progress
4:44 and Liberty open borders and liberal
4:47 democracy nationalist leaders denounced
4:49 it as dangerous for undermining
4:51 individual countries democracy and
4:53 sovereignty by creating a super state
4:56 but as the Union really becoming a super
4:59 state remember our elected home
5:01 political leaders actually run the Union
5:03 together from their European Council
5:06 with our elected ministers in the
5:08 Council of the European Union and our
5:10 directly elected parliament members in
5:13 the European Parliament our home states
5:16 tower over the Union it is they who
5:18 unanimously made and keep making its
5:22 ground rules for treaties they do this
5:25 on our watch and their voters the
5:27 upcoming election will stage this clash
5:29 between the awesome populist nationalism
5:32 and the union's multilateral estai Diaz
5:35 the European Parliament is one body fit
5:37 to raise this issue on to the stage of
5:40 our continents public opinion far from
5:42 phasing out the states the Union makes
5:45 them evolve united by opening up their
5:47 markets have borders the societies and
5:51 their voters to each other shall it keep
5:54 being trusted to do so the answer to
