EU Institutions
EU
Agencies
Over 40 decentralised agencies carry out specific technical, scientific, or regulatory tasks across the EU. From policing to medicine to finance — the EU's operational backbone.
What Are EU Agencies?
EU agencies are distinct from the main EU institutions (Commission, Parliament, etc.). They are separate legal entities, established by EU legislation, with specific mandates in defined policy areas.
Most are decentralised — deliberately spread across member states to reflect the EU's geographic diversity. Locations are decided by political agreement among member states.
Types of Agencies
Decentralised agencies
Carry out technical/regulatory tasks in specific sectors. The most numerous type (~35 agencies).
Executive agencies
Manage EU funding programmes on behalf of the Commission (e.g., EACEA for Erasmus+).
Euratom agencies
Related to nuclear energy (e.g., Fusion for Energy).
CFSP agencies
Support EU foreign and security policy (e.g., EDA — European Defence Agency).
Key Agencies Directory
Find an Agency
Search by name, abbreviation, or location. Click any card to expand objectives, founding regulation, and official website.
Showing 17 of 17 agencies
Europol
EU law enforcement cooperation agency supporting member states in fighting serious international crime and terrorism. Has no arrest powers — facilitates cooperation and intelligence sharing.
~1,500+
Operations supported/year
~1,700
Staff
50+
Partner countries
Frontex
European Border and Coast Guard Agency managing EU external borders, coordinating joint operations, and supporting member states in asylum and returns.
10,000 by 2027
Standing Corps target
~€845M
Annual budget (2024)
~2,000+
Staff
Eurojust
Judicial cooperation agency helping coordinate cross-border criminal investigations and prosecutions across EU member states.
~10,000
Cases handled/year
300+/year
JITs supported
~300
Staff
European Public Prosecutor's Office
Independent EU body with actual prosecutorial powers to investigate and prosecute crimes against the EU budget (fraud, corruption, VAT fraud). 22 member states participate.
22 of 27
Participating states
1,800+ (by 2023)
Investigations opened
€14.1B (2022)
Estimated damage value
EU Agency for Asylum
Supports member states in asylum procedures, provides country of origin information (COI), and works to ensure fair and efficient asylum systems across the EU.
100+
COI reports produced/year
20+
Member states supported
~500
Staff
European Banking Authority
Regulates and supervises the EU banking sector through binding technical standards, stress tests, and monitoring to ensure consistent application of banking rules.
200+
Technical standards published
~70 largest EU banks
Banks covered by stress tests
~200
Staff
European Securities and Markets Authority
EU financial markets regulator and supervisor. Directly oversees credit rating agencies and trade repositories; coordinates national securities regulators.
~30
CRAs directly supervised
~7
Trade Repositories supervised
~300
Staff
European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority
Regulates and supervises insurance and pension funds across the EU, ensuring financial stability and policyholder protection.
~95%
EU insurance market coverage
Every 2 years
Stress tests
~200
Staff
European Medicines Agency
Evaluates and supervises medicines for the EU market. Issues centralised marketing authorisations covering vaccines, cancer drugs, rare disease treatments, and more.
1,500+
Medicines approved (cumulative)
3,000+
Orphan designations
~1,000
Staff
European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control
Identifies, assesses, and communicates threats from infectious diseases across Europe. Became high-profile during COVID-19 pandemic for surveillance and guidance.
50+
Diseases under surveillance
~60
Risk assessments/year
~300
Staff
European Agency for Safety and Health at Work
Collects, analyses and disseminates information on occupational safety and health across the EU to promote safer and healthier workplaces.
100M+ people
Annual campaign reach
Every 4-5 years
ESENER surveys
~60
Staff
European Environment Agency
Provides reliable, independent information on the European environment to support policy-making. Publishes key reports including the State of Environment report every 5 years.
38
Member countries (incl. non-EU)
1,000+
Eionet partners
~210
Staff
Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators
Coordinates national energy regulators and supports development of the EU's internal energy market for electricity and gas.
37 (EEA + EU)
NRAs coordinated
7,000+
REMIT market participants monitored
~100
Staff
European Union Aviation Safety Agency
Develops common safety and environmental rules for civil aviation across Europe. Certifies aircraft and issues type certificates. Equivalent of the US FAA.
1,700+
Aircraft type certificates
31
Countries in EASA system
~1,000
Staff
European Union Agency for Cybersecurity
EU's cybersecurity agency. Provides expertise and supports member states, EU institutions, and the private sector in cybersecurity preparedness and incident response.
Framework launched 2021
EU Cybersecurity certifications
Annual
Threat Landscape reports
~200
Staff
European Food Safety Authority
Provides independent scientific advice on food and feed safety, nutrition, animal health, and plant health to support EU risk managers.
500+
Scientific outputs/year
450+
Expert scientists on panels
~450
Staff
European Union Agency for Railways
Develops common safety and interoperability rules for the European rail network. Issues vehicle authorisations and safety certificates as a one-stop shop.
600+
Single Safety Certificates issued
2,000+
Vehicle authorisations
~170
Staff
AD5 Exam Tip
What the Exam Tests
- →Know the "big five" by heart: Europol (law enforcement), Frontex (borders), EMA (medicines), EBA (banking), ECDC (disease).
- →Europol has NO arrest powers — it supports, coordinates, and shares intelligence only.
- →EPPO (European Public Prosecutor's Office) is NOT yet universally adopted — Ireland, Hungary, and others opted out.
- →EEA (Environment Agency in Copenhagen) ≠ EEA (European Economic Area) — different thing entirely.
- →Agency seats are politically agreed by member states — geography matters in EU institutional questions.
- →EU agencies are NOT EU institutions under Art. 13 TEU — the 7 main institutions are listed separately.