What exactly does the European Commission do?

Questions and answers
Q: Who are the European Commission?

A: The European Commission has 20 members - 15 men and five women. They are prominent politicians from the 15 member states of the European Union. There are two each from Britain, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain, and one from each of the other states: Ireland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Portugal, Denmark, Austria, Greece, Sweden, the Netherlands, and Finland.

Q: How do they get the job?

A: They are appointed by their national governments but are required to be completely independent of those governments. The Commission President, currently Jacques Santer of Luxembourg, is chosen by the European heads of state or government after consultations with the European Parliament. The appointment takes place when the European leaders meet for a twice-yearly Euro-summit as the European Council. The 15 member governments are supposed to consult an incoming president about the Commission members they nominate.

Q: How long do they serve?

A: Each Commission serves for five years. The current one was supposed to stay in office until the end of 1999.

Q: What do they do?

A: The Commission defines itself as "the heart of Europe, from which the other institutions derive much of their energy and purpose". It has two main roles: to devise common policies and to run the day-to-day business of the European Union. Commissioners head an organisation with around 15,000 staff, divided into 26 directorates-general and a handful of other agencies. The directorates cover such areas as External Relations, Agriculture, the European single market, Research, and Development Aid. Each is headed by a Director-General, reporting to a Commissioner.

Q: To whom are they accountable?

A: The European Parliament is responsible for vetting the work of the Commission President and the other Commissioners. The full Commission has to be approved by the Parliament before its members can take office. They can also be obliged to resign, en masse, by a parliamentary vote of censure - which has often been threatened but which has never happened. In practice, the Commission is much more likely to take notice of the national governments than of the European Parliament.

Q: How much power do they really have?

A: The Commission is often portrayed as a bureaucratic behemoth, trampling all in its path. In reality, its proposals are subject to the approval of national governments, meeting as the Council of Ministers, and to a lesser extent, of the European Parliament.

Q: How much do they spend?

A: The EU's annual budget currently stands at the equivalent of around £60 billion, of which half goes on agricultural subsidies. The total spending is less than one-fifth of the UK national budget.

Q: Can the EU do without them?

A: No. For 40 years, the institutions of Europe have grown around the Commission, which plays a leading role in policy making and in administration. There is no direct equivalent in national government, but running Europe without the Commission would be a bit like running Britain without the Cabinet. The departments of state would carry on, but without political direction or accountability.

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