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In Europe
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 European Commission, known simply
as the 'Commission', drafts proposals for new European
laws, which it presents to the European Parliament and
the Council. It is also the executive arm of the EU
- in other words, it is responsible for implementing
the decisions of Parliament and the Council. That means
managing the day-to-day business of the European Union:
implementing its policies, running its programmes and
spending its funds.
The term 'Commission' is used in two senses:
First, it refers to the team of men and
women - one from each EU member state - appointed to
run the institution and take its decisions. These men
and women are known as 'commissioners'; they have all
held political office in their countries of origin,
but as Members of the Commission they are committed
to acting in the interests of the Union as a whole and
not taking instructions from national governments.
Secondly, the term 'Commission' refers
to the institution itself and to its staff.
A new Commission is appointed every five
years, within six months of the elections to the European
Parliament. The governments of the member states agree
together who to designate as the new Commission President
and Members of the Commission. After interviewing the
candidates the new Parliament gives its opinion on the
whole team. Once it is approved, the new Commission
can officially begin work. Throughout its mandate the
Commission remains politically accountable to the Parliament,
which has the power to dismiss the whole Commission
by adopting a motion of censure.
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:
- 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'.
- To manage and implement EU policies and the budget;
- 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.
- 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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