The European Commission: Promoting the Common Interest

The European Commission is independent of national governments. It was established in the 1950s under the EU's founding treaties to represent and uphold the interests of the EU as a whole.

The Commission attends all the sessions of the European Parliament, where it must clarify and justify its policies. It also replies to written and oral questions posed by Members of the European Parliament.

The day-to-day running of the Commission is done by its administrative officials, experts, translators, interpreters and secretarial staff. There are approximately 25,000 European civil servants, which may sound like a lot, but is actually fewer than the number of additional staff employed by the HSE in Ireland which employs 35,000 additional staff on top of its core employee base of 65,000.

What does the Commission do?

The European Commission has four main roles:

  1. To propose legislation to Parliament and the Council;

    The Commission has the 'right of initiative'. In other words, the Commission alone is responsible for drawing up proposals for new European legislation, which it will do only if it considers that a problem cannot be solved more efficiently by national, regional or local action. This principle of dealing with things at the lowest possible level is called the 'subsidiarity principle'.
  2. To manage and implement EU policies and the budget;
  3. To enforce European law (jointly with the European Court of Justice);

    The Commission acts as the 'guardian of the treaties' and, together with the European Court of Justice (ECJ), is responsible for making sure EU law is properly applied in all member states. If the Commission finds that a member state is not applying an EU law, and thereby not meeting its legal obligations, it will take steps to put the situations right. These steps could include referring the matter to the ECJ, which has the power to impose penalties.
  4. To represent the European Union on the international stage, for example by negotiating agreements between the EU and other countries.

    The European Commission is an important mouthpiece for the European Union on the international stage. It enables the member states to speak 'with one voice' in international forums such as the World Trade Organisation. It also has the responsibility of negotiating international agreements on behalf of the EU.


Learn more about the European Commission at www.ec.europa.eu

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