Comisia Europeană, puternicul organ executiv al UE
Lista de responsabilități ale Comisiei Europene este exhaustivă: de la rolul de câine de pază puternic al Uniunii Europene în domeniul concurenței și al tehnologiei digitale până la negocierea acordurilor comerciale.
Translate
spinner.loading
spinner.loading
The commission is frequently referred to as "Brussels" after the Belgian city where its headquarters is based, opposite the European Council representing the 27 member states and the European Parliament down the road.
The only EU institution with the power to propose new laws, the commission is also responsible for enforcing EU legislation and represents the bloc in trade negotiations on behalf of member countries, which form a single market.
It acts as the EU's powerful antitrust regulator, with power to probe violations and impose hefty fines.
And supercharged with two landmark laws to police content online and bring tech titans like Apple and Microsoft to heel, the commission has in recent years emerged as the bloc's digital watchdog.
The new laws give it the power to launch probes and slap heavy fines for violations.
In the tech field and elsewhere, the size and wealth of the bloc means many EU laws influence other jurisdictions around the world in what is called the "Brussels effect," as with the bloc's mammoth data protection rules for instance.
Around 32,000 people work for the commission, which is led by a president chosen by the bloc's leaders with the approval of the parliament.
By comparison, about 50,000 people work for the city of Paris.
The current president of the commission is German conservative Ursula von der Leyen. She won a second five-year mandate in July 2024. Such is her apparent dedication to the job, she even has a space where she can -- and does -- sleep on the 13th floor of the main commission building.
Von der Leyen heads up the "college of commissioners", similar to a national leader's cabinet made up of ministers.
Customarily there are as many commissioners as there are member states, with one from each. They are nominated by their governments to reflect the union's political landscape and must be approved by the EU parliament.
Von der Leyen is due to present on Tuesday the carve-up of portfolios within her new college.
The list of nominees is dominated by conservatives, who won the most votes in June's EU polls, but it also includes representatives of the social democrats, liberals, Greens and now far-right parties.
Like the president, commissioners serve for five years and are in charge of a variety of portfolios, including agriculture, economy, competition, trade, justice and energy.
Each one then oversees different departments known as directorate-generals where hundreds of experts handle various topics to guide policy.
One of the most public-facing commissioners, known as the "high representative and vice president", coordinates foreign and security policy with member states.
EU leaders have already named Estonian former prime minister Kaja Kallas to succeed Spain's Josep Borrell in the role, but she will need the parliament's approval too.
The president is the captain of the ship, deciding the institution's priorities and future direction, usually laid out during a State of the Union speech in September.
The commission puts forward legal proposals after recommendations by member states and consultations with citizens and businesses on how a piece of legislation should be shaped in the best way to meet its goals.
These only become law after the texts are negotiated and drafted by representatives of member countries and the EU parliament.