 The term “European Commission” refers in the first instance to the 27 Commissioners appointed by the EU Member States after approval by the European Parliament.  However, the “Commission” also refers to the institution and its approximately 38,000 staff.

 To draft new laws and regulations, which are then submitted to the European Parliament and the Council for debate and decision  To take charge of the day-to-day management of EU policies and activities (from farming and food safety to protecting consumers from being ripped-off by unscrupulous firms)  To make sure that the laws adopted by the Council and the Parliament are applied correctly and even- handedly in all EU countries (jointly with the Court of Justice)  To represent the European Union on the international stage, for example by negotiating agreements between the EU and other countries

 Civil servants work within operational departments, called Directorates-General (DGs). Each DG is in charge of a specific policy area: agriculture, competition, economic and financial affairs, and so on.  Every DG comes under the responsibility of one of the Commissioners, who is assisted by his/her private office or ‘cabinet’.  Proposals for new EU laws are drafted by the Commission civil service in collaboration with their Commissioner and his/her cabinet. The ‘college’ of Commissioners meets once a week. These meetings usually take place in Brussels on Wednesdays. Each item on the agenda is presented by the Commissioner responsible for that policy area, and the college takes a collective decision on it.

 When they work, they are expected at all times to act objectively, impartially, in the Community interest and for the public good.  In practice, they are bound by specific codes of conduct, rules and principles with regard to their activities and their relations with the public, the press, civil society, etc.  In short, their activities are guided by the following principles: › Efficiency › Ethics and conduct › Transparency

 Although European civil servants have been based in Brussels for many decades it was only in 1997 (Treaty of Amsterdam) that it was officially stated that the Commission should have its seat in Brussels.  In short, most Commission staff work in Brussels, although more than 2,000 are based in Luxembourg and other locations in Europe. There are Commission representative offices in all 27 countries of the European Union. There are also over 120 delegations located around the globe - from Peru to Papua New Guinea, dealing with such matters as trade, development and humanitarian aid.

 The European Union budget funds the policies and the expenditures of all the EU Institutions. The budget is negotiated between the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers on a basis of a proposal by the Commission.  For 2007, the EU budget runs to about €126 billion. This corresponds to only around € 0.70/day per person. The money comes from four different sources: › 69% from a uniform rate applied to Gross National Income of each EU country; › 15% from a share of the harmonised value added tax (VAT); › 15% from customs duties, agricultural duties and sugar levies; › 1% from unspent amounts from previous years, contributions of EU staff, etc.

 According to opinion polls, a quarter of the public (wrongly) believes that the greatest part of the EU budget is spent on administration.  In fact, the administrative expenses of the Union will total 6.9 billion euro in 2007, less than 6% of EU spending. The European Commission uses less than a half of this (3,3 billion €) ; the rest covers the cost of running the other EU institutions, for example the European Parliament.

 Mostly back to Member States, in the following ways: › 43 % to enhance competitiveness and cohesion, by investing in research and development, small and medium-sized enterprises, information society, integrated infrastructures and trans-European networks for transport and energy; › 34 % to modernise agricultural production and ensure safe and high quality food; › 11% to foster rural development and protect the environment; › 5% for EU projects on the world stage (global cooperation, humanitarian or development aid, pre-accession funds); › 6% for other expenses, including the administrative ones; › 1% to make Europe a safer place to live in, by preventing and fighting again terrorism, combating public health threats from animal diseases, etc.