European Commission (EC)
The European Commission is the EU’s executive body. It represents the interests of the European Union as a whole and not individual countries.
The Commission’s main roles are to:
- propose legislation which is then adopted by the co-legislators, the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers
- enforce European law (where necessary with the help of the Court of Justice of the EU)
- set a objectives and priorities for action, outlined yearly in the Commission Work Programme and work towards delivering them
- manage and implement EU policies and the budget
- represent the Union outside Europe (e.g. negotiating trade agreements between the EU and other countries)
