27 Facts About EU Commission

The EU Commission President is proposed by the European Council and elected by the European Parliament.

The current EU Commission is the Von der Leyen EU Commission, which took office in December 2019, following the European Parliament elections in May of the same year.

Governmental powers of the EU Commission have been such that some, including former Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt, have suggested changing its name to the "European Government", calling the present name of the EU Commission "ridiculous", likening it to a misnomer.

European EU Commission derives from one of the five key institutions created in the supranational European Community system, following the proposal of Robert Schuman, French Foreign Minister, on 9 May 1950.

The Rey EU Commission completed the Community's customs union in 1968, and campaigned for a more powerful, elected, European Parliament.

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EU Commission headed by Jacques Delors was seen as giving the Community a sense of direction and dynamism.

However, the Santer EU Commission did carry out work on the Treaty of Amsterdam and the euro.

Under the Treaty of Nice, the first EU Commission to be appointed after the number of member states reached 27 would have to be reduced to "less than the number of Member States".

Barroso EU Commission is, in reaction to Euroscepticism, said to have toned down enforcement to increase integration.

EU Commission was set up from the start to act as an independent supranational authority separate from governments; it has been described as "the only body paid to think European".

The rules of procedure of the European EU Commission set out the commission's operation and organisation.

However, the Council and Parliament may request the commission to draft legislation, though the EU Commission does have the power to refuse to do so as it did in 2008 over transnational collective conventions.

Under the Lisbon Treaty, EU citizens are able to request the commission to legislate in an area via a petition carrying one million signatures, but this is not binding.

The European EU Commission has committed EU member states to carbon neutrality by 2050.

Furthermore, the commission is responsible for the implementation of the EU budget, ensuring, along with the Court of Auditors, that EU funds are correctly spent.

In particular the EU Commission has a duty to ensure the treaties and law are upheld, potentially by taking member states or other institutions to the Court of Justice in a dispute.

Finally, the EU Commission provides some external representation for the Union, alongside the member states and the Common Foreign and Security Policy, representing the Union in bodies such as the World Trade Organization.

President of the EU Commission is first proposed by the European Council, following a Qualified Majority Vote, taking into account the latest parliamentary elections ; that candidate then faces a formal election in the European Parliament.

Barroso EU Commission took office in late 2004 after being delayed by objections from the Parliament, which forced a reshuffle.

EU Commission is divided into departments known as Directorates-General that can be likened to departments or ministries.

In 2010 the EU Commission was sued for blocking access to documents on EU biofuel policy.

Lack of transparency, unclear lobbyist relations, conflicts of interests and excessive spending of the EU Commission was highlighted in a number of reports by internal and independent auditing organisations.

European EU Commission has an Action Plan to enhance preparedness against chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear security risks as part of its anti-terrorism package released in October 2017.

European EU Commission organized a video conference of world leaders on 4 May 2020 to raise funds for COVID-19 vaccine development.

European EU Commission issued a new multi-year data plan in February 2020 pushing the digitalization of all aspects of EU society for the benefit of civic and economic growth.

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EU Commission is primarily based in Brussels, with the President's office and the commission's meeting room on the 13th floor of the Berlaymont building.

Additionally, the European EU Commission has in-house scientific facilities that support it in: Ispra, Italy; Petten, the Netherlands; Karlsruhe, Germany; Geel, Belgium and Seville, Spain.