Commission of the European Union

The Commission, originally known as the Commission of the European Communities, is the executive arm of the European Union and is composed of 25 Commissioners, each appointed for five-year terms by the governments of the Member States but acting independently of them. Each Member State appoints one Commissioner. The direct needs of the Commission are serviced by the Secretariat General.

Each Commissioner has particular areas of responsibility which are similar to those of Departmental Ministers in the Member States. The discharge of these particular responsibilities is carried out in distinct, separate Directorates General, for example:

Directorate General I	Foreign Relations
Directorate General IX	Administration, Personnel, Budget
Directorate General XIII	Information Technology

There are now more than 20 Directorates which are staffed by permanent functionnaires who are responsible for the day-to-day management of policy.

The European Commission embodies and upholds the general interest of the Union and is the driving force in the Union’s institutional system. Its four main roles are to propose legislation to the European Council and the European Parliament, to administer and implement Community policies, to enforce Community law (jointly with the Court of Justice) and to negotiate international agreements, mainly those relating to trade and cooperation.

The Commission represents the starting point of every Community action. It is the Commission which submits proposals and drafts to the Council for adoption. The Commission also has some law-making powers, although these are subject to the Council’s right to veto under certain circumstances.

The Commission can refer matters to the Court of Justice if it believes the rules of the Community have been infringed.

For further information, visit the European Commission Web site.