European Commission

The European Commission, founded in 1958, is the politically independent executive of the EU. It develops and implements legislation, manages the EU budget and monitors compliance with the EU treaties. Under President Ursula von der Leyen (2019-2024), it focuses on topics such as the European Green Deal and digitalization. The Commission consists of 27 members, one from each member state. The headquarters are located in Brussels, with representations in Europe and worldwide. Read the latest news on the European Commission from the Table.Briefings editorial team. What is the European Commission? The European Commission (abbreviation: EC, COM) is a supranational body of the EU. The EU Commission represents the politically independent executive of the EU, i.e. it acts in the interests of the common interests of the EU. Among other things, the EU Commission is responsible for drafting and implementing legislation, which is why it is also known as the "guardian of the treaties". The European Commission was founded in 1958. How does the EU Commission work? The work of the EU Commission is led by the President of the EU Commission. The President sets the rules of procedure and the political agenda for the EU Commission as well as the responsibilities of the other Commissioners. The members of the EU Commission, the EU Commissioners, are each entrusted with the management of a specialist department (Directorate-General, DG). Each of these specialist departments is assigned to a working group. The working groups reflect the priorities of the EU Commission. The priorities are redefined every 5 years, i.e. with each new legislative period. How does the EU Commission work under von der Leyen? The working methods of the EU Commission under EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are based on the principles of collegiality, transparency and efficiency. The EU Commission's priorities for the 2019-2024 legislature are: What are the tasks of the European Commission? Together with other EU institutions, the European Commission develops the EU's political objectives and overall strategy. The most important tasks of the EU Commission are In its work, the EU Commission always acts in the best interests of all EU citizens; national interests should not play a role in the Commission's work. For this reason, the EU Commission constantly evaluates whether the measures are fair to EU citizens and companies. In its work, the EU Commission is guided by the principles of transparency, a comprehensive range of languages, environmental protection, equal opportunities and ethical conduct. How many members does the European Commission have? The EU Commission consists of 27 Commissioners. Each EU country is represented on the Commission by an EU Commissioner. The EU Commissioners are nominated by the governments of the EU member states and elected to the EU Commission by the EU Parliament. In this way, a new college is formed every five years. What is the composition of the EU Commission in the 2019-2024 legislature? Ursula von der Leyen was appointed by the heads of state and government of the EU member states and elected President of the European Commission for the period 2019-2024 by the European Parliament. The composition of the European Commission for this legislature is as follows: Where is the European Commission located? The headquarters of the EU Commission is in Brussels. Most of the European Commission's departments are also based in Brussels or Luxembourg. The EU Commission also has representations throughout Europe, which act as the Commission's mouthpiece in the host country and provide information, for example. Since another task of the EU Commission is to represent the EU outside the Union's borders, there are also various representations outside the EU (delegations).