The European Commission

Structure
Tasks Powers

Problems

Recap - The EU institutional triangle

Council of Ministers

EP

European Commission

Introduction - Commission in the news

Appearance:
Supranational government EU power centre Hyper-bureaucracy Propaganda-machine

Scandals
Fraud (lack of financial control) Nepotism (jobs for relatives and friends) Over-regulation (tractor seat regulation)

Global trade
Trade-wars with US Subsidies for industries (aircraft, steel, agriculture) Negotiations on WTO level

Recent media
Prices for calls from mobiles Airport body scanners Strict monitoring of Greece during austerity measures

Responsibilities and Powers

Legislative functions:
Implementation and development of policies (right of initiative) Commission legislation Commission regulation (competition policy)

Executive Functions:
Rule-making (agenda setting) management (finances) Guardian of the treaties Supervision of adoption and implementation of EC law external representation and negotiation (WTO, UN, OECD) mediator conscience of the Union

EU Commission how powerful?

Promoter of European integration Central to EU political system Part of decisionmaking process Initiator of policies Legislative and executive powers Not directly accountable to EP or national parliaments Neither staff nor president elected Executive and legislative functions limited by other EU institutions No power to raise taxes nor to use political force

Commission structure
President UK Slo Cy Sp Slo Ge Cz F Hu I Pl Lit Lux Lat Dk Fin Ma Sw Irl P Gr A B Nl Est COMMISSIONER

Cabinet
Chef de Cabinet Cabinet Staff

DirectorGeneral

Deputy D-G
College of Commissioners
Units

The Services

15,000 staff (20,000 counting researchers, translators, and interpreters) 36 Directorates-General and specialist services Task Forces

The President
Most prominent figures Walter Hallstein first president (1958-67) Roy Jenkins only president from UK (1977-1980) Jacques Delors most active (1985-94) Appointment: 5 year renewable term By common accord of state leaders, elected by EP (Lisbon) Tasks Representation to other institutions and bodies Head of EU administration Shapes portfolios and allocates Commissioners Provide political guidance Commission as a whole -- subject to confirmation of EP and dismissal

The College of Commissioners

27 Commissioners
Until 2004: One from each member state plus one extra for Germany, France, UK, Italy, and Spain From 2005: reduced to one per member state Further reduction after 2014 The members of the Commission shall, in the general interest of the Community, be completely independent in their performance and duties They shall neither seek nor take instructions from any government or from any other body (Art. 213 ECT)

Commissioners delegated by member states Required to serve EU rather than national interests Portfolios often overlap EP has de-facto veto on appointees

The 2009-2014 Commission

Finally approved by EP in February 2010 Full list of new commissioners here.

Commission as a powerful actor

Has sole right of initiative Can set up expert committees and commission reports Has competition powers under Articles 8189 of the TEC

Implementation
Most day-to-day implementation done by member state executives Implementation problems increased in the 1990s Disparities in implementation records of member states led to calls for more effective enforcement Implementation functions increasingly referred to separate agencies

The new European Commission

Lost power in the last 10 years (to EP, European Council?) Allegations of fraud and nepotism Leadership weakened since Delors (Santer, Prodi, Barroso) Power centralised within Council EP extended influence (esp. Lisbon Treaty) Commission still important on global affairs

Evaluation
Neither clear cut civil service nor European government Better at policy formulation than implementation Often struggling with capacities A unique and truly supranational institution