The European Union is now home to the citizens of 25 European countries. Decisions taken by the EU, like the introduction of the euro or action to protect the environment, can directly affect our daily lives. Not only are these decisions taken in Brussels, headquarters city of the Union, but many people see these decisions as taken - by' Brussels. It is as if hidden forces are at work, detached from the rest of Europe, whose task it is to impose their will on its 455 million citizens.
Nothing is further from the truth. Decisions are the result of open and democratic processes, involving the three main EU institutions: the European Parliament, the Council of the EU (made up of ministers from the member countries) and the European Commission. With decision-taking shared in this way and with the interests of 25 countries to reconcile, the detailed mechanisms are bound to be complicated. But they are fully transparent.
The present booklet looks at the European Commission, the largest of the three bodies. It tells very briefly and simply what the Commission does and how it works. It also profiles some of the people, ordinary Europeans like the rest of us, who work for the Commission and whose job is to make sure the EU is run in our common interest.
The Commission's role
The European Union exists because its member countries have agreed to pool their interests and even their sovereignty in certain key sectors and policies. They have done so in the name of peace, prosperity and security for their citizens. All this is set out in the EU's founding treaties.
The European Commission plays a crucial role in enabling the EU to deliver on its promises. Its powers and responsibilities have increased over the years as the Union has expanded and moved into new areas of activity. The Commission has three distinct, and equally important, functions.
The first is to draft new laws and regulations. The Commission draws up proposals which are submitted to the Council and the European Parliament for debate and decision. It is they who, in the end, formally adopt - or reject - the Commission's proposals.
The second is to take charge of the day-to-day management of the wide range of EU activities from farming and food safety to protecting consumers from being ripped off by unscrupulous firms. The Commission can, for instance, impose fines of hundreds of millions of euro on the worst offenders who manipulate markets to keep prices - and profits - high.
The Commission's third area of responsibility is to make sure that the laws adopted by the Council and the European Parliament are applied correctly and even-handedly in all Member States. In the European Union, with its single market and freedom of movement, it is essential that all citizens are equal before EU law, whatever their country of residence. Because of this function, the Commission is sometimes called the - guardian of the EU treaties'.
Making a real impact
Matthias Langemeyer
The idea that Commission officials make rules without worrying about their impact is far from the reality of EU decision-making. It is, in fact, a democratic process involving the Commission, 25 national governments, the European Parliament and many others. Matthias Langemeyer, a negotiator involved in the 2004 EU enlargement to 25 countries and in talks with potential future members, works at the heart of this democratic process.
- In its role of handling entry negotiations, our Commission department has the primary responsibility for listening to candidate countries' concerns. We try hard to accommodate these, but we take into account the views of other departments too - in my case colleagues responsible for agriculture and for health and consumer protection. We must also be fair to Europe's farmers and consumers.'
The EU negotiating position is drafted by the Commission but must be validated by the member states before being presented to the candidate countries. Validating the Commission's proposals is a process Matthias sees as problem-solving, not confrontation. - To be in the Council of the EU with the 25 Member States and the Commission and find a compromise which satisfies everyone, you can feel Europe evolving day-by-day. And I love working on subjects which affect so many people.'
After schooling in France and his native Germany, Matthias picked studies in agronomy in Bonn and Toulouse as a likely route to an international career. This paid off. Matthias has worked continuously for the EU in various functions ever since.
He first spent two years in Brussels analysing agricultural legislation under a work experience scheme run by European universities. Then followed secondment as a - young expert' to the EU delegation in Barbados, an auxiliary contract in Brussels managing aid projects in the Middle East, a spell as a temporary EU official in Belgrade helping Serbia's farmers in the aftermath of conflict, before becoming a fully-fledged EU civil servant in 2003.
BORN: 1967 in Celle, Germany
POSITION: Negotiator for agriculture and food safety with candidate countries
Structures
Let's start with a definition. The term - European Commission' applies in the first instance to the 25 men and women Commissioners who run the organisation. They are appointed for a period of five years by the governments of the 25 EU countries - one per country - and vetted by the European Parliament before they take office. This establishes their democratic legitimacy. They then swear an oath of independence before the EU Court of Justice
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