p>the Committee of the Regions, to which 24 representatives of the German states and municipalities belong, which advises the Council and the Commission in areas of policy affecting regional and municipal jurisdiction;
>the Economic and Social Committee, which advises the Council and the Commission on matters pertaining to employers and unions; and

p-the European Court of Auditors, which examines the accounts of all revenue and expenditure of the Community and of all bodies set up by the Community.

The European Union is increasingly developing into a political union. Every citizen of an EU Member State is at the same time a citizen of the European Union. This citizenship of the Union above all gives him or her the right to move and reside freely within the territory of the Member States of the Union, subject to certain limitations and conditions. It also gives him or her the right to vote and stand as a candidate in both municipal elections and elections to the European Parliament even if he or she resides in a Member State other than that of which he or she is a national.