Power in the EU is shared between three entirely independent and separate bodies. "Separation of powers" ensures that nobody gets too much power.

In the UK, unfortunately, we do not have this system. Our Prime Minister runs the government, runs the parliament, appoints the bishops and the judges, and appoints the non-elected members of the upper house of parliament.

The EU's executive body, the Commission, does the day-to-day work, and drafts the proposals for EU laws,

The elected chamber, where the 732 MEPs sit and work in public, is the EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT. You can follow its work here.

The unelected chamber is the Council of Ministers. It meets in secret, and is where the representatives of the national governments sit.

COUNCIL OF MINISTERS you can follow some of its work here.

These two chambers normally hold two readings, alternately, of each proposed EU law. They must agree on the final version of the law and negotiate if necessary.

Other ways of keeping track of current EU activities :

To follow the progress of a new EU law being made, click here.

To obtain documents, or lodge a petition, or ask the Ombudsman etc click here

To read the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, click here

There are other EU bodies - whose work you can also follow :

THE EUROPEAN COURT OF JUSTICE at Luxembourg click here

This is not to be confused with the EUROPEAN COURT ON HUMAN RIGHTS at Strasbourg which is not part of the EU. It enforces the Convention on Human Rights across some 44 European countries including Russia and Turkey here

EUROPOL, the EU's law enforcement agency at the Hague which handles criminal intelligence click here

EUROPEAN CENTRAL BANK at Frankfurt, which controls the circulation of the Euro notes and coins, and sets base interest rates here