Editing European Union (section)

===Governance===
{{Main|Bodies of the European Union and the Euratom|Institutions of the European Union|Subsidiarity (European Union)#EU competences}}

Member states retain in principle all powers except those that they have agreed collectively to delegate to the Union as a whole, though the exact delimitation has on occasions become a subject of scholarly or legal disputes.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-35005-5 |title=The European Union and the Return of the Nation State |date=2020 |language=en |doi=10.1007/978-3-030-35005-5 |isbn=978-3-030-35004-8 |editor-last1=Bakardjieva Engelbrekt |editor-last2=Leijon |editor-last3=Michalski |editor-last4=Oxelheim |editor-first1=Antonina |editor-first2=Karin |editor-first3=Anna |editor-first4=Lars }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Zglinski |first=Jan |date=31 October 2023 |title=The new judicial federalism: the evolving relationship between EU and Member State courts |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/european-law-open/article/new-judicial-federalism-the-evolving-relationship-between-eu-and-member-state-courts/92E688990FD99AF0EF6CB4DE93D2D41F |journal=European Law Open |language=en |volume=2 |issue=2 |pages=345–371 |doi=10.1017/elo.2023.27 |issn=2752-6135|doi-access=free }}</ref>

In certain fields, members have awarded [[Subsidiarity (European Union)#EU competences|exclusive competence and exclusive mandate]] to the Union. These are areas in which member states have entirely renounced their own capacity to enact legislation. In other areas, the EU and its member states share the competence to legislate. While both can legislate, the member states can only legislate to the extent to which the EU has not. In other policy areas, the EU can only co-ordinate, support and supplement member state action but cannot enact legislation with the aim of harmonising national laws.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Competences and consumers |url=http://ec.europa.eu/competition/consumers/events/2009/index.html |access-date=25 November 2010}}</ref> That a particular policy area falls into a certain category of competence is not necessarily indicative of what [[Legislature of the European Union|legislative procedure]] is used for enacting legislation within that policy area. Different legislative procedures are used within the same category of competence, and even with the same policy area. The distribution of competences in various policy areas between member states and the union is divided into the following three categories:

{{EU competences}}

The European Union has seven principal decision-making bodies, its [[Institutions of the European Union|institutions]]: the [[European Parliament]], the [[European Council]], the [[Council of the European Union]], the [[European Commission]], the [[Court of Justice of the European Union]], the [[European Central Bank]] and the [[European Court of Auditors]]. Competence in scrutinising and amending legislation is shared between the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament, while executive tasks are performed by the European Commission and in a limited capacity by the European Council (not to be confused with the aforementioned Council of the European Union). The [[monetary policy]] of the eurozone is determined by the European Central Bank. The interpretation and the application of EU law and the treaties are ensured by the Court of Justice of the European Union. The EU budget is scrutinised by the European Court of Auditors. There are also a number of ancillary bodies which advise the EU or operate in a specific area.