To keep abreast of events taking place in the world and understand political processes, one should understand the structure of existing authorities of the near and far abroad. One of the most ambitious associations is the European Union, the features of the device of which can be understood first.
What is the European Commission?
Any state or union of states needs to be governed. Control over activities within the European Union is carried out by a commission, which is not only the highest executive body, but also owns the right of legislative initiative. The goals of the existence of this authority are to monitor compliance with treaties and legal acts, implement the decisions of the European Parliament and develop new bills.
Work principles
The Commission of the European Union consists of twenty-eight members, who are also called commissioners. Each of them represents a separate member state of the association in which he was elected in the national government.
However, for a period of work lasting five years, members become completely independent of the country and act exclusively in the interests of the European Union. There is control over the choice of commissioners. It is carried out by the European Parliament, which approves each proposed candidacy put forward by the Council of Ministers. The members of the commission are responsible for the various activities of the association, for example, related to the issue of relations with third countries. Each of them is the head of a specific unit called the Directorate General.
European Commission Activities
The work of this authority is an integral part of the work of the EU. The laws that the European Commission is developing are being considered by the Council, which oversees the process. In addition, the body monitors the implementation of various legal acts and, in case of violations, can apply a variety of sanctions. Sometimes the result is an appeal to the European Court. The European Commission may make independent decisions in the areas of agriculture, transport, domestic market activity, competition and environmental protection. She is also involved in fund management, budget control and the creation of a network of representative offices outside the EU to carry out diplomatic functions. For work, the commission holds weekly meetings at Brussels headquarters. Her official languages are English, French, and German.
Organization Origin
The European Commission, UN or NATO appear on international news daily. However, more recently, many of these organizations did not exist. So, the first version of the highest governing body in Europe was a commission created in 1951. Its members represented the countries of the European Coal and Steel Association, and Jean Monnet was the chairman of the institution. Officially, the commission began work on August 10, 1952. Then the headquarters was located in Luxembourg. In 1958, as a result of the Roman agreements, new communities arose. The Economic Commission for Europe of the new option controlled grain prices and participated in negotiations on tariffs and trade. With each new stage in the history of the development of the EU, the principles of the work of its supreme bodies changed, and the policies and structure of organizations were often determined by the head of the board.
Contribution of Jose Barroso
The European Commission has been part of the EU governance structure from the very beginning of its existence, but the modern format of its work appeared only a few years ago. In 2004, Jose Manuel Barroso became the chairman, whose work became decisive for the development of the body. He faced certain problems in forming the composition of new members due to opposition protests. As a result, the European Commission was limited by the number of commissioners - previously, large states could send several representatives at once, and the changes entailed the establishment of equality between all countries of the union. According to the Lisbon Treaty, developed under the control of Barroso, the number of members was fixed on a constant figure of twenty-six representatives: one from each state, plus one representative to the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy from the power that did not receive a seat. Subsequently, the size of the EU changed, which led to amendments to the current number of twenty-eight people.
