What Is the Commission? Commission Departments

The European Commission

What is the Commission? Commission Departments

Commission Services

What is the Commission?

The European Commission is the EU's executive body and its main roles are:

 to initiate proposals for EU policy and legislation (i.e. exercising the right of initiative);  to ensure that EU law is correctly applied by Member States;  to represent the general interest of the European Union;  to be the executive body of the Union;  depending on the policy area, the Commission also acts as the EU’s external representative, (e.g. negotiating international trade and cooperation agreements).

The term 'Commission' refers to the institution as a whole, the Commission Departments and Services and the College of Commissioners, composed of 28 members. The Commission has an office in every EU country.

Commission Departments

The Commission is divided into 44 departments and services. The departments are known as Directorates-General (DGs) and cover different policy areas or issues. DGs are headed by Director Generals who oversee the general functioning of the service. DGs are further split into Directorates (which cover specific policy areas) and Units (which deal with specific issues within the policy area). Desk Officers in the Units deal with issues of policy development and implementation. Desk Officers come from all 28 EU Member States but do not officially represent their country’s interest.

The Secretariat General is responsible for the Commission's work and its relations with the other institutions, as well as for coordination between the various Commission departments.

DGs with particular relevance to the environment are:

DG ENV – DG Environment DG CLIMA – DG Climate Action DG AGRI – DG Agriculture and Rural Development DG MARE – DG Maritime Affairs and Fisheries DG MOVE – DG Mobility DG REGIO – DG Policy DG RESEARCH – DG Research DG ENERGY – DG Energy

Commission Services The Commission services cover general administrative issues or have a specific mandate. Commission services include:

Bureau of European Policy Advisers (BEPA) Central Library European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) European Commission Data Protection Officer Historical archives Infrastructures and Logistics - Brussels (OIB) Infrastructures and Logistics - Luxembourg (OIL) Internal Audit Service (IAS) Legal Service (SJ) Office For Administration And Payment Of Individual Entitlements (PMO) Publications Office (OP)

There are also over 40 agencies and decentralised bodies which are separate legal entities that perform particular tasks for the EU.

College of Commissioners The European Commission is led by a group of Commissioners known as the ‘College of Commissioners’. There are currently 28 Commissioners, one from each EU Member State. Each Commissioner is assigned responsibility for a specific policy area (portfolio). Commissioners are often politicians or high-ranking officials from Member States appointed for a five-year term. Commissioner candidates are put forward by their respective Member States and must be approved by all EU Member States and the European Parliament. Whilst in office, Commissioners are supported by their ‘cabinet’.

The Commission is led by the President of the Commission, whose role is to guide and advance the Commissioners’ work and the European Commission as a whole. The President can assign responsibility for specific activities to the Commissioners and has the power to reallocate responsibilities to Commissioners or to ask them to resign. The President also represents the Commission to other European institutions, for instance in the European Council, and in major debates in the European Parliament. In addition, the President is the face of the European Commission in meetings outside the EU, for instance at G8/G20 meetings. The President of the Commission is appointed by the governments of the Member States and must then be formally approved by the European Parliament. The President of the Commission serves a five-year term. The current President of the Commission is José Manuel Barroso (Portugal) who is currently serving his second five-year term (2010-2014).

The College of Commissioners includes the ‘High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy’. The High Representative is also a Vice President of the Commission and chairs meetings of the EU’s Foreign Affairs Council. The current High Representative is Lady Catherine Ashton (UK).