THE COMMISSION

Marie AbeWakana Negishi

THREE MAIN INSTITUTIONS

Council The European Parliament

The Commission Power to initiate policies

Approve or Reject

Proposal Proposal

Composition

Presiden

t

Commissioners

Commission Bureaucrats

CABINETS

President

• The leader of the Commission• The council nominates and majority votes in the

European Parliament is needed• Jose Manuel Barroso is current President• Decide Portfolio for each commissioner

Portfolio is particular areas of Responsibility.

Commissioner

• “ONE commissioner for each member state”=27 commissioners

• Nominated from each memberstate• A new group of commissioners appointed in

every 5 years• Meeting held once a week ( College of

Commissioners)• College itself has to be approved by the EP

Who can likely to be Commissioners or President?

• former ministers or senior ministers• All governments usually nominate “pro-European”,

and who have not been associated with any extremist party or wing.

• Only the most prominent national politicians likely to be a President.

Cabinet

• Assisting Commissioners • Meeting is held once a week (chef de cabinet)• Group consists of 6 officials + support staffs• President has 12 officials• Mainly brokering the many different views and

interests among Commissioners

The Bureaucracy of the Commission

• People who are in charge of ADIMINISTRATIVE works.

• 26,000 staffs , 20,000 administrative• - 6,000 senior policy-making• - 3,800 research and technological development• - 1,940 office• - 2,500 translation and interpretation

Dilemma in Staffing

Whether to keep national balance or not?<Advantage>1. wide range of knowledge and experiences 2. get the confidence of national governments and

administrations in EU decision-making as their members are involved in policy preparation and administration.

3. easy to deal with the Commissioners when using the fellow nationals as the access points. 

Dilemma in Staffing

<Disadvantage>1. Pure meritocratic principle has been disturbed.2. Cannot completely divest from national

identification and loyalties.3. Different styles complicate policy making

process.

Organization

• Ministries/Departments=Directorates General and Specialized services• DG→ directly handling policies• Specialized Services→ support for policies

Eg) the Secretariat General

Portfolios and Services

Portfolios Names and nationality

Supporting Services

Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth

Androulla Vassiliou

DG Education and culture, DG Translation, DG Interpretation, Translation Centre for the Bodies of the EU etc…

Decision-making Mechanism

The College of CommissionersAccept or reject or ask DG to redraft

The Secretariat Generalmonitor

CabinetExtensively revise

Lead DGinitial draft

“Model” route

Responsibilities

• 6 major headings - Proposer and developer of policies and legislation - Executive functions - Guardian of the legal framework - External representative and negotiator - Mediator and conciliator - promoter of the general interest

1. Proposer and developer of policies and legislation

• Power is exclusive• Initiation, stimulate• Policy – several levels - ×totally free hand…outside voices - major, cross-sectoral, programmes, specific areas

1. Proposer and developer of policies and legislation

• Legislative - prepalation of policy proposals : sounding & listening process *vast network of advisory commitees - expert / consultative - 3 factors - expert > consultative?

2. Executive functions

• 3 aspects - Rule-making powers - Management of EU finances - Supervision of ‘front-line’ policy implementation Comitology

2. Executive functions

• Rule-making powers - gray area, highly detailed & specialised matters - follow automatically primary legislation• Management of EU finances - 2 main duties - expenditure: 40%↑ CAP/35%↑ cohesion policy - weakened - coordinating & managing

2. Executive functions

• Supervision of ‘front-line’ policy implementation - supervisor & overseer - 4 important difficulties• Comitology - implementing committee system - problem … 2 main reasons → distinction delegated & implementing act - cooperation of the Council & EP

3. The guardian of the legal framework

• supervisory & inplementing responsibilities• aware possible illigalities - supply national transposition measures - self-notification - from another party - own efforts• constraints & restrictions

What can the Commission do about breaches of EU legislation?

• Non-compliance by a member state• Firms breaching EU law on restrictive practices and

abuse of dominant market positions e.g. Microsoft, Intel• Firms breaching EU rules on state aid• Potential breaches of EU rules on company mergers

4. External representative and negotiator

• 6 roles - determing & ocnducting trade relations - various special external agreements - international organization - between the EU & non-member states - applocant for EU membership - the CFSP & CSDP

5. Mediator and conciliator

• Search for agreement between competing interests• Grudging incrementalism• Why...? - Non-partisan - best position to judge : continuous & extensive discussion not perfect

6. Promoter of the general interest

• Sectional & national interests• ‘conscience’ of the Union• Avoid partisanship • Good functioning & cohesion as a whole• Difficult … vague• ×Detached, far-seeing, enthusiastic• Short, possible

The Varying(and Declining?) Influence

Provide leadership - 6 key factors• Many academics : marked decline influence• Weakening real vision & leadership• Why...? : several factors

Conclusion

• The most distinctive: political/administrative/responsibilities• academic debate ‘intergovornmentalist’ ‘suprenationalist’ • remain central & vital