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Question 16 of 72 · World GK: Countries, Capitals & Currencies
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Which body is the executive branch and the driving force of the European Union?

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Answer: Option A — European Commission

Detailed Solution

The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union (EU) and is often called its "driving force" because it proposes new laws and runs the EU's day-to-day work.

About the European Commission:

  • Its headquarters is in the Berlaymont building in Brussels.
  • It has 27 Commissioners, one from each member country, including the President.
  • Commissioners are expected to represent the interests of the EU as a whole, not of their own countries.
  • The President is proposed by the European Council and elected by the European Parliament for a five-year term.
  • Ursula von der Leyen (Germany) became President in December 2019, the first woman in the post, and began a second term in December 2024.

Its functions:

  • It has the "right of initiative": it proposes new EU laws.
  • It implements EU policies and the EU budget.
  • It acts as the "guardian of the treaties", ensuring that member countries apply EU law, and can take them to the Court of Justice.
  • It represents the EU in international trade negotiations, for example the India-EU free trade agreement talks, which resumed in 2022.

Main institutions of the EU:

  • European Parliament: directly elected every five years; seats in Strasbourg (France), Brussels and Luxembourg; shares law-making power with the Council.
  • European Council: the heads of state or government of member countries; sets overall direction.
  • Council of the European Union: ministers of member countries; shares law-making with the Parliament.
  • Court of Justice of the European Union: Luxembourg.
  • European Central Bank: Frankfurt, Germany; manages the euro.
  • European Court of Auditors: Luxembourg.

India and the EU:

  • India and the EU have had a "Strategic Partnership" since 2004.
  • The India-EU Trade and Technology Council was set up in 2022-23.
  • The EU is one of India's largest trading partners.

Why not the other options?

  • ✗The European Parliament is the EU's directly elected legislature.
  • ✗The European Court of Justice interprets EU law.
  • ✗The European Central Bank manages the euro and monetary policy.

Quick tip

Remember: European Commission = EU's executive and "driving force" (Brussels; 27 Commissioners; proposes laws; guardian of the treaties; President Ursula von der Leyen); Parliament = Strasbourg; ECB = Frankfurt; Court of Justice = Luxembourg.

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World GK: Countries, Capitals & Currencies — Preparation

This question tests your understanding of World GK: Countries, Capitals & Currencies, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.

This topic covers world GK: countries with their capitals, currencies and parliaments, national symbols, famous landmarks, the longest, largest and highest features of the world, and international boundary lines such as the Radcliffe, McMahon and Durand Lines. The most common questions match a country with its capital or currency, or a parliament with its name (such as the Knesset of Israel or the Diet of Japan). Revise countries continent by continent, giving extra attention to India's neighbours. Questions on boundary lines usually ask which two countries a line separates. Practise the world GK questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.

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