Summary of Conventions

Country	Status	Year
Austria	member	01-Jan-1970
Belgium	member	01-Jan-1970
Denmark	member	01-Jan-1970
Finland	member	01-Jan-1970
France	member	01-Jan-1970
Germany, Fed. Rep.	member	01-Jan-1970
Greece	member	01-Jan-1970
Ireland	member	01-Jan-1970
Italy	member	01-Jan-1970
Luxembourg	member	01-Jan-1970
Netherlands	member	01-Jan-1970
Portugal	member	01-Jan-1970
Spain	member	01-Jan-1970
Sweden	member	01-Jan-1970
United Kingdom	member	01-Jan-1970
Language
Danish
Dutch
Finnish
French
German
Greek
Italian
Portuguese
Spanish
Swedish
Document text
	
	The European Commission


The European Commission 1995-2000

                The European Commission operates at the very heart of the European Union. Its role as the
                source of policy initiatives is unique; yet this role is not always clearly understood. The Commission
                has used its right of initiative to transform the framework provided by the Union's founding treaties
                into today's integrated structures. The benefits for citizens and companies throughout the Union
                have been considerable: more freedom to travel and trade, more prosperity, much less red tape. 

                But the Commission has not done this alone. It works in close partnership with the other European
                institutions and with the governments of the Member States. Although the Commission makes
                proposals, all the major decisions on important legislation are made by the ministers of the
                Member States in the Council of the European Union, after taking account of the advice of (or, in
                some cases, in codecision with) the democratically elected European Parliament. 

                The Commission consults widely with interested parties from all sectors and all walks of life when
                preparing draft legislation. In addition to its power of proposal, the Commission acts as the EU
                executive body and as guardian of the Treaties. 

                The Commission represents the common interest and embodies, to a large degree, the personality
                of the Union. The key theme of the Commission under Mr Jacques Santer is to defend the interests
                of Europe's citizens. The 20 members of the Commission are drawn from the 15 EU countries, but
                each one swears an oath of independence, distancing himself or herself from partisan influence
                from any source. 

                The Commission's job is to ensure that the European Union can attain its goal of an ever-closer
                union of its peoples. A principal task is to ensure that goods, services, capital and persons can
                move freely throughout the territory of the Union. It must see to it too that the benefits of
                integration are balanced between countries and regions, between business and consumers and
                between different categories of citizens. 


The first task of the Commission is to initiate European policies

                The Commission fulfils three main functions. Because of its right of initiative, the Commission is
                charged with making proposals for all new legislation. It does so on the basis of what it considers
                best for the Union and its citizens as a whole rather than on behalf of sectoral interests or individual
                countries. 

                The scope of these activities are laid down in the Treaty and range from trade, industry and social
                policies to agriculture, the environment, energy, regional development, external relations, overseas
                development and others. Before it issues an item of draft legislation, the Commission carries out
                extensive preliminary soundings and discussions with representatives of governments, industry, the
                trades unions, special interest groups and, where necessary, technical experts. It tries to take
                account of these often competing interests when it prepares its proposals. 

                In preparing legislation, the Commission also takes account of the prevailing economic, political
                and social realities. 

                The balance of interests is not always easy. The Commission has, for instance, pushed hard
                recently to liberalize telecommunications in Europe so that EU firms and consumers benefit from
                the advantages of the information society and on is matching the interests of free market
                competition with guarantees that the universal telephone service at affordable prices will still be
                available to all its citizens wherever they live. 

                In its initiatives, the Commission takes the principle of subsidiarity into account so that it initiates
                legislation only in areas where the European Union is better placed than individual Member States
                to take effective action. Subsidiarity is enshrined in the Maastricht Treaty on European Union. 

                Once a Commission proposal has been submitted to the Council of Ministers and the European
                Parliament, the three institutions work together to produce a satisfactory result. In agreement with
                the Commission, the Council can amend a proposal by a qualified majority (if the Commission
                does not agree, the change requires unanimity) and the Commission is always open to amendments
                from the European Parliament. 

                The European Parliament shares the power of co-decision with the Council in a number of policy
                areas and has the right of amendment in others. In revising its proposals, the Commission is bound
                to take Parliament's amendments into consideration. 

                In cases where the Commission can only secure agreement in the Council by making what it
                considers unacceptable amendments, it may withdraw the proposal rather than accept a bad
                agreement which is not in the interests of the Union as a whole. 


The Commission acts as the guardian of the EU treaties to ensure that European legislation is applied correctly

                In its second function, the Commission acts as the guardian of the EU treaties to ensure that EU
                legislation is applied correctly by the Member States and that all citizens and participants in the
                single market benefit from the level playing field that has been created. 

                Where necessary, it takes action against those in the public or private sector who fail to respect
                their treaty obligations. It can, for instance, institute legal proceedings against Member States who
                fail to introduce EU directives, bringing them before the European Court of Justice where they do
                not comply voluntarily. 

                The Commission is responsible for vetting subsidies paid by national governments to their
                industries and authorizing State aid in cases where this is allowed under Community law. In serious
                anti-trust cases, the Commission can impose fines on companies found guilty of breaking the
                Uniontrict rules. It imposed an ECU 248 million fine, the highest ever, on a group of firms found
                guilty in late 1994 of running an illegal market-rigging cartel. 


As the Union's executive body, the Commission manages policies and negotiates international trade and  cooperation agreements

                In its third function, the Commission is the executive body of the Union responsible for
                implementing and managing policy. Among its executive functions is managing the Union ECU 80
                billion annual budget and running its Structural Funds, whose main purpose is to even out
                economic disparities between the richer and poorer parts of the Union. 

                In some areas like competition, agriculture and trade policy, the Commission has considerable
                autonomy to take decisions without submitting proposals to the Council of Ministers, either
                because of its specific powers under the Treaty or by delegated authority from the Council. 

                It also negotiates trade and cooperation agreements with outside countries and groups of countries
                on behalf of the Union. More than 100 countries around the world have such accords with the
                European Union. The Lomé Convention linking the European Union with developing countries of
                Africa, the Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) is considered a model of North-South cooperation.
                More recently, the Commission negotiated the Uruguay Round trade liberalization accord and the
                creation of the new World Trade Organization (WTO) on the Union's behalf. 


 The limits of the Commission's authority are clearly defined. Legislative decisions are taken by  the Council and the Parliament

                Although it has the right of initiative, the Commission does not take the main decisions on EU
                policies and priorities. This is the responsibility of the Council of the European Union, whose
                members are ministers from member governments, and (in many instances) of the European
                Parliament as well. 

                Reality is therefore different from some popular misconceptions which greatly exaggerate the
                power of the Commission. The Commission has few powers of coercion, although its neutral role
                and the depth of specialized knowledge it has acquired over the years give it plenty of scope for
                persuasion. 

                As a result of its knowledge and experience, the Commission has often been called upon to play
                the honest broker between the sometimes conflicting interests of Member States. Its impartiality
                and commitment to the common interest make it an accepted mediator by all sides. 

                Thanks to its right of initiative, the Commission has acted as the motor of European integration.
                The most striking recent example of this kind of Commission action on a grand scale was the bold
                strategy, phased over a period of seven years, which led to the completion, at the beginning of
                1993, of the European single market. The Commission also played a central role in drawing up the
                blueprint for economic and monetary union, which aims to introduce a single currency by the end
                of this decade, and the initiative to reinforce the economic and social cohesion between the regions
                of Europe. 


The Commission is a lean administrative machine, providing cost-effective services for Europe's citizens, firms and governments

                Because of the breadth of its responsibilities, the Commission is the biggest of the European
                institutions. It has a staff of about 15 000 people, which is about twice the number of the other
                institutions put together. But it is still relatively small, bearing in mind its responsibilities for a
                European Union of about 370 million citizens. The administration of a major European city
                employs more people. The Commission's running costs amount to only 3.3% of the Union's annual
                budget. 

                About one fifth of the Commission staff work in the translation and interpretation services. The
                Union has 11 official languages. As laws adopted in Brussels are often directly applicable in the
                Member States, the texts must be available to the citizens of the Union in their own language. 

                The Commission consists of 23 directorates-general (DGs), plus another 15 or so specialized
                services. They are each headed by a director-general, who is equivalent in rank to the top civil
                servant in a government ministry. The directors-general report to a Commissioner, each of whom
                has the political and operational responsibility for one or more DGs. 


The 20 Commissioners are men and women who have held senior office in their home countries

                When we talk about "the Commission" as a political body, we mean the 20 Commissioners (or
                Members of the Commission) at its head. Commissioners are men and women who have generally
                sat in national parliaments or the European Parliament or who have held high office in their home
                countries, often at ministerial level, before coming to Brussels. The present Commission has five
                women members, the highest number in its history. Its five-year mandate runs from 1995 until the
                beginning of the year 2000. This is parallel to the legislature of the European Parliament. 

                The Commission meets once a week to adopt proposals, finalize policy papers and take other
                decisions required of it. Routine matters are dealt with via simplified written procedures. When
                necessary, the Commission may hold special sessions in addition to its weekly meeting. 

                At its meetings, each item is presented by the Commissioner responsible for the policy sector in
                question. Decisions are taken where necessary by a majority vote; when a decision has been
                adopted, it becomes Commission policy. It then has the full support of all Commissioners. 

                In addition to the staff of the directorates-general for which they are responsible, each
                Commissioner has his or her own private office or "cabinet". This consists of seven officials plus
                support staff who serve as the bridge between the Commissioner and the DGs. But they also
                function as eyes and ears to brief their boss on issues he or she might want to raise concerning
                policy papers and draft proposals prepared by other Commissioners. The work of the
                Commission is coordinated by its Secretariat-General. 


The Maastricht treaty on European Union has given the Commission more democratic legitimacy

                The President of the Commission is chosen by EU Heads of State or Government meeting in the
                European Council. The presidential choice has in practice to be endorsed by the European
                Parliament. The other 19 members of the Commission are nominated by the governments of the 15
                Member States in consultation with the new Commission President. The President and his
                colleagues are subject to parliamentary approval by means of a collective vote of investiture before
                they can take office. 

                The system of parliamentary vetting of the President and his colleagues, instituted by the Treaty on
                European Union, does much to reduce criticism that the Commission was an unelected body
                without democratic legitimacy. It gives parliament a full voice in the choice or appointment of the
                Commission President and his colleagues. Previously, its only power in this context (which it
                retains) was to force the resignation of the whole Commission through a vote of censure. It has
                never used this option. 

                Two commissioners come from each of the big Member States (Germany, Spain, France, Italy
                and the United Kingdom) and one from each of the smaller ones (Belgium, Denmark, Greece,
                Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Austria, Portugal, Finland and Sweden). 

                The current Commission President is Jacques Santer, who was previously Prime Minister of
                Luxembourg. He succeeded Jacques Delors, who spent 10 years at the head of the Commission,
                in January 1995. 


 As the European Union has developed over years, the Commission has acquired new responsibilities

                As the European Union has developed - from the Coal and Steel Community of the 1950s via the
                European Community of the 1970s and 1980s to the European Union of today - the Commission
                has developed with it. The Single European Act of 1986, incorporating the first significant update
                of the founding treaties, and the Maastricht Treaty on European Union, confirm and expand the
                Unioncope and the Commission's responsibility in additional areas. These include the environment,
                education, health, consumer affairs, the development of trans-European networks (TENs), R&D
                policy, culture and (last but not least) economic and monetary union. 

                The Commission has important responsibilities for aid and development programmes in third
                countries. It has, for instance, been given the task of managing the PHARE and TACIS
                programmes of technical assistance to the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and to the
                Republics of the former Soviet Union. The PHARE programme will form one of the platforms for
                preparing the EU eastern neighbors for full membership of the Union over the coming years. 

                The Commission is fully associated with the inter-governmental parts of the Maastricht Treaty
                covering a common foreign and security policy (CFSP) and cooperation on justice and police
                affairs. In these activities, the Commission has no sole right of initiative. But in most areas it can
                submit proposals in the same way as national governments can and participates in discussions at all
                levels. 


In the management of EU affairs, the Commission has developed dynamic relations with the other institutions

                Given its central position in the structure of the European Union, the Commission has special links
                with each of the other institutions. As we have seen, it works most intensively with the Council of
                Ministers and the European Parliament in the preparation of EU legislation. It attends all Council
                and Parliament meetings and takes part in the discussions of its own draft proposals. 

                In addition, the President of the Commission participates alongside the Heads of State or
                Government of the Member States at the twice-yearly meetings of the European Council. He also
                participates as a representative of the Union as a whole at the annual economic summits of the
                Group of Seven (G 7) leading industrialized nations. 

                The Commission is answerable to the European Parliament which has the power to dismiss it in a
                vote of censure or no confidence. The Commission is present throughout all sessions of the
                European Parliament and must explain and justify its policies if so requested by members of the
                house. It must reply to written or oral questions put by MEPs. 

                The Commission's functions regularly involve the European Court of Justice which is the final
                arbiter of European law. On the one hand, the Commission brings before the Court cases where
                directives or regulations are not being respected by governments or companies. But on the other
                hand, the Court is where firms go when, for instance, they want to appeal against anti-trust fines
                imposed by the Commission. 

                The Commission's management of the EU budget is scrutinized by the Court of Auditors, whose
                task it is to make sure that the Commission spends the EU tax payers' money wisely. The common
                goal of both institutions is to eliminate fraud and wastage. On the basis of the Court of Auditors
                report, it is the European Parliament that gives the Commission its final discharge for the execution
                of each annual budget. 

                Finally, the Commission works closely with the Union's two consultative bodies, the Economic and
                Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions, and consults them on most items of draft
                legislation. 


The new Commission will face a number of challenges in the coming five years

                The men and women who took over as Commissioners at the start of 1995 will help guide the
                Union into the 21st century. The priority items of their five-year mandate are clear. They were
                highlighted in the presidency conclusions issued after EU Heads of State or Government met at the
                Essen Summit at the end of 1994. 

                During its mandate, the Commission must also give the lead in demonstrating the Union's
                commitment to transparency and openness and in bridging the gap between the activities of the
                European institutions and ordinary citizens. 

                In the first place, the Commission attaches high priority to following through the strategy on
                growth, competitiveness and employment which it set out in its recent White Paper. Although the
                European Union is entering a period of good stable growth, it is essential to create the conditions
                for improving the competitiveness of the Union's industry and services and to aid the structural
                changes necessary to create more jobs. 

                Secondly, the Union is moving towards economic and monetary union and the Commission plays
                an important role in monitoring the progress of the 15 Member States towards economic
                convergence. The Essen Summit reaffirmed that respect for strict convergence criteria on public
                finances, inflation and currency stability is a pre-condition for countries to enter the third and final
                stage of economic and monetary union. 

                Thirdly, following the entry of Austria, Finland and Sweden at the start of 1995, work is under
                way to prepare for further expansion of the European Union, in particular for Central and East
                European countries. Among the Commission's tasks is to identify areas where the Union's eastern
                neighbors can align their policies with those of the Union and how they should do this. In parallel
                with this task, the Commission is to prepare concrete input for the new partnership relations being
                developed between the Union and its Mediterranean neighbors. 

                The Commission is also participating actively in the preparation for the 1996 intergovernmental
                conference (IGC) whose task is to review and revise the Maastricht Treaty in order to define the
                future development and structure of the Union which could have 25 or more members 10 years
                from now. 

          
                                                  
                [ © ] 

Source:  http://europa.eu.int/comm/presentation_en.htm#2
Short Name:	EC
Full Name:	European Commission
Purpose:	general
Established:	01-Jul-1967
Entered into force:
Type:	body, multi-lateral
Place where established:	Rome, Italy
Schedule to expire:
Goals and Objectives:	The task of the Commission is to initiate European policies; acts as the guardian of the EU treaties to ensure that European legislation is applied correctly by the Member States and that all citizens and participants in the single market benefit from the level playing field that has been created; as the Union's executive body, the Commission manages policies and negotiates international trade and cooperation agreements
Related Legislation:	[25 Mar 1957] Treaties of Rome (entered into force 01 Jan 1958). [08 Apr 1965] Treaty on European Economic Community (entered into force 01 Jul 1965). [07 Feb 1992] Treaty on European Union (entered into force 01 Nov 1993).
Internet source:	#http://europa.eu.int/comm/#
Secretariat's address	European Commission Rue de la Loi 200 B-1049 Brussels Belgium
Telephone	+32-2- 299-1111
Fax	+32-2- 295-0138
E-Mail
Home Page	#http://europa.eu.int/comm/#