The institutional design of the European Union (EU) is at the forefront of the policy debate in Europe. Many political leaders have recently called for a “European Constitution”, and the European Commission has launched an ”open debate” on the future of the Union. A major rethinking of Europe’s institutions and policies is underway.

The European Union is working towards establishing a security union, making Europe more secure by fighting terrorism and serious crime and by strengthening Europe's external borders. The EU offers its citizens an area of freedom, security and justice without internal borders.

We think of “international unions”, like the EU, as groups of countries which agree to pool certain public goods and policies and delegate the choice and administration of these to super national governing bodies.

For this purpose we construct a set of indicators to measure the policy-making intensity of the European Union (European Council, Parliament, Commission, Court of Justice, etc.). We confirm that the extent and the intensity of policy-making by the EU have increased sharply over the last 30 years, but at different speeds, and in different degrees, across policy domains.

For this purpose we construct a set of indicators to measure the policy-making intensity of the European Union (European Council, Parliament, Commission, Court of Justice, etc.). We confirm that the extent and the intensity of policy-making by the EU have increased sharply over the last 30 years, but at different speeds, and in different degrees, across policy domains.