The European Commission (EC) is the executive body of the European Union responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the treaties and day-to-day management of the EU. Commissioners swear an oath at the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg, pledging to respect the EU Treaties and to be completely independent in carrying out their duties during their mandate.

What they do

The Commission's main roles are to:

• propose legislation which is then adopted by the co-legislators, the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers
• enforce European law hrvatski (hr) (where necessary with the help of the Court of Justice of the EU)
• set a objectives and priorities for action, outlined yearly in the Commission Work Programme and work towards delivering them
• manage and implement EU policies and the budget
• represent the Union outside Europe (negotiating trade agreements between the EU and other countries, for example.).

The European Commission has its headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, and some services also in Luxembourg. The Commission has Representations in all EU Member States and 139 Delegations across the globe.

1 President, 7 Vice-Presidents and 20 Commissioners

A new team of 28 Commissioners (one from each EU Member State) is appointed every five years.

The candidate for President of the Commission is proposed to the European Parliament by the European Council that decides by qualified majority and taking into account the elections to the European Parliament.

The Commission President is then elected by the European Parliament by a majority of its component members (which corresponds to at least 376 out of 751 votes).

Following this election, the President-elect selects the 27 other members of the Commission, on the basis of the suggestions made by Member States. The final list of Commissioners-designate has then to be agreed between the President-elect and the Council. The Commission as a whole needs the Parliament's consent. Prior to this, Commissioners-designate are assessed by the European Parliament committees.

Regular and emergency meetings

The Commissioners meet as a College once a week, usually on Wednesday, in Brussels. The College agendas are determined by the President.

When the Parliament holds its plenary sessions in Strasbourg, the Commissioners usually meet there. The agenda for each meeting is based on the Commission's work programme. The meetings and debates are not open to the public, but the agendas and minutes are available.

The Commission also meets when emergencies need to be addressed and when major issues are being discussed by the Council of Ministers.

Directorates-General and agencies

There are 23 000 staff members working in the Commission in departments, known as Directorates-General (DGs) or services, each responsible for a particular policy area and headed by a Director-General.

The DGs draft laws, but their proposals become official only once the College of Commissioners adopts them during its weekly meeting.

The DGs also manage funding initiatives at EU level, carry out public consultations and communication activities.

The Commission also administers a number of executive agencies, which help the European Commission manage EU programmes.

Disclaimer:

The European Commission is working to ensure that social networks respect the highest standards of data protection.

All users of social networks should be particularly careful about how they disclose their personal information and about how it may be used by third parties and the social network themselves.