Let’s talk about institutions — Episode 1: The European Commission and the European Council
Miriam Stellino
“What does the European Union do for us?” At least once in our life, we have heard this question. The European Union is characterized by a very complex institutional structure, furthermore, the work of some institutions is not always visible and this can lead to the belief that the EU is useless. Understanding the functions of the European institutions and their decision-making process is nowadays more important than ever in order to understand what the European Union does for its citizens, and how can its institutions impact our daily lives. Welcome to a short guide to understanding two of the most important (and maybe the most famous) European institutions.
The European Commission: the engine of the EU
The European Commission is maybe the most known institution. It is the executive body of the European Union. But what are its origins and its functions, and who sits in the European Commission? To make it short, what does the European Union do for us through the Commission? The origins of the Commission lie in the ’50s, when the Treaty of Paris established the European Coal and Steel Community, which was the first attempt to create some form of cooperation between the same States that had fought against each other during World War II. The ECSC, whose aim was to establish cooperation in the coal and steel production between the then six member states (Italy, France, West Germany, Belgium, The Netherlands, Luxembourg) was founded upon the High Authority, an independent executive institution and the predecessor of today’s Commission. The term “European Commission” has then been introduced with the Treaty of Rome in 1957. Speaking about the Commission’s composition, this institution is composed by an executive and an administrative branch. The first one consists in a College of 27 Commissioners, including its President, who is appointed every five years right after the European parliamentary elections, and who can influence the appointment of the other Commissioners, also allocating portfolios and setting the Commission’s policy agenda. Commissioners are appointed by their national governments, even though they are expected to be completely independent. The European Parliament is consulted on the choice of the President, whose appointment has also to be approved by the assembly. The Parliament also has the power to dismiss the Commission. Each Commissioner has different policy responsibilities or portfolios, which involve oversight of one or more departments or Directorates-General and they are assisted by a cabinet, which is composed of people trusted by the Commissioners. Besides the Directorates-General, a key component of the Commission’s administration is the Secretariat-General, which the permanent office of the President of the Commission. It is chaired by a Secretary-General and is responsible for shaping the relationships between the Commission and the other institutions, also giving this institution a more coherent policy profile. For what concerns the functions of the Commission, this institution mainly has four functions. First of all, the Commission is responsible for the formulation and initiation of policies: when it comes to policy areas subjected to the community method of decision-making, this institution drafts the policy proposals that are then analyzed by the Parliament and the Council. Secondly, the Commission is responsible for the implementation of policies: not only does it monitor the process of implementation within the member states, but it also details legislation with specific rules, when needed. The Commission also represents the European Union beyond its borders, acting as its main negotiator, and it also mediates between the Parliament and the Council and between the EU’s member states.
Meeting the present Commission and its latest actions:
The present Commission (2019–2024) is chaired by Ursula von der Leyen, who has proposed a strategic agenda based on six fundamental pillars: a European Green Deal, a Europe fit for the digital age, an economy that works for people, a stronger Europe in the world, promoting our European way of life, a new push for European democracy. Today’s Commission features three
executive Vice-Presidents: Frans Timmermans (leading the work on the European Green Deal), Margrethe Vestager (overseeing the “Europe fit for the digital age” pillar), Valdis Dombrovskis (responsible for the “Economy that works for people” chapter). Besides the other Commissioners, the Von der Leyen Commission also presents other five vice-Presidents: Josep Borrell Fontelles (High Representative of the Union and responsible for “ A Stronger Europe in the World”), Maroš Šefčovič (responsible for Interinstitutional Relations and Foresight), Věra Jourová (responsible for Values and Transparency), Dubravka Šuica (working on Democracy and Demography) and Margaritis Schinas (overseeing the work for “Promoting the European Way of Life).
The Commission is continuously operative, undertaking actions in many different policy areas. Most recently, the Von der Leyen Commission has adopted a €130 million assistance package to support Syrian refugees and local communities in Jordan and Lebanon in key areas such as social
protection, healthcare, and waste management [1]. On the 4th March 2021, the Commission has presented a proposal aiming at ensuring that women and men are paid equally for doing the same work [2]. For what concerns the most known and demanding projects, the Commission is currently trying to build a European Health Union, in order to strengthen the European crisis preparedness and its reaction to medical emergencies, while also improving the Europeans’ quality of life [3]. Another pillar of the Commission’s action is the European Green Deal, aiming at improving the sustainability of the European Union’s economy [4], with the well-known Next Generation EU, launched by the Commission in order to lead the way out of the economic crisis caused by the pandemic [5].
The European Council: the highest-level meeting
The European Council can be defined as the highest-level meeting of the EU: as a matter of fact, it gathers the heads of state or government of the member states, who formally meet at least twice a year, but many more “informal” gatherings are usually organized throughout the year. The President of the Commission and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy also take part to the meetings, while the President of the ECB can also be invited when the agenda so requires. The high-level composition of this institution, however, could also be its Achille’s heel, since many heads of State or Government usually represent their national interest and care less about the common European interest. Since 2009 (when the Treaty of Lisbon, signed in 2007, has entered into force) the European Council is chaired by a permanent President, who is elected for a two-and-a-half-year term (renewable only once) by a qualified majority of the members. This figure has been introduced in order to provide this institution with the necessary continuity since prior to the Treaty of Lisbon the Council was chaired by the Head of State or Government of the Member State holding the rotating Presidency (which rotates every six months, thus making it difficult to provide the Council with the necessary political leadership). The first permanent President has been Herman Van Rompuy, former Belgian Prime Minister, who has been appointed for a second mandate. He has been followed by the Polish Donald Tusk and, in July 2019 by the former Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel.
The European Council was created with the Paris Summit in 1974 in order to give the highest political authorities of the member states of the (then) EEC the possibility to meet regularly in order to discuss the future developments of the Community. The first meeting was held in March 1975 in Dublin, and the Single European Act, signed in 1986, gave the European Council its first
legal basis, formalizing its meetings. However, only in 1992 did it acquire a formal status with the Treaty of Maastricht, and finally, with the Treaty of Lisbon, the European Council has become a fully-fledged institution, being formally recognized as one of the European institutions. What is more, during the Eurozone crisis a new format of the Council has been launched: this is the Euro Summit, gathering the Heads of State or Government of the States that share the common currency.
According to the Treaty, the Council provides the Union with the necessary impetus for its development and defines the general political directions and priorities. It shall exercise no legislative functions and in foreign policy, it should identify the Union’s strategic interest, determine its objectives and define general guidelines. The European Council also serves as the ultimate decision-maker, since when an agreement cannot be found on a certain policy by the ministerial Council the draft legislation is sent to the Council to let the highest European authorities discuss it. Decisions are taken by consensus, but rules of procedure are adopted by a simple majority.
What is more, Heads of state or government have always played a role in Treaty negotiations, but over time this role has become predominant.
The President too has some fundamental tasks: as a matter of fact, the Presidency is responsible for preparing the meetings, for conducting the debates and ensuring the smooth conduct of the meetings (for example, if the discussion gets bogged down, the President may well interrupt the meeting and hold bilateral conversations or invite two or more delegations to get together to solve a specific problem), for drawing conclusions and overseeing the following up to the meetings (for example, each Council ends with a press conference and the first to speak is usually the President, who also has to report the European Parliament on the meeting, accompanied by the Commission President). The President also has to see that EU Council decisions and conclusions are effectively implemented.
The European Council’s latest actions:
In the latest months, the European Council has been busy dealing with boththe decisions regarding the implementation of the Next Generation EU and with the managing of the pandemic. In December, the European leaders have discussed the steps that have to be taken in the struggle against the virus and have reached an agreement on the conditionalities regarding the access to the funds of the Next Generation EU program. What is more, they
have also agreed on a binding target of a net reduction of at least 55% of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 [6].
On the 25th of February, the European leaders have met in order to discuss the measures to limit the spread of the virus and to speed vaccination across Europe, how to trace the spread of the new mutations and how to keep borders open to the flow of goods.
Conclusions
The European Commission and the European Council clearly play a fundamental role in shaping the policies of the European Union and they actually have a strong impact upon everyone’s life, even if they are often not so visible and they are perceived as being distant from the citizens. Understanding their roles and prerogatives, therefore, helps us understanding which institutions impact our lives.
References:
[1] https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_21_986
[2] https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_21_881
[3] https://ec.europa.eu/info/strategy/priorities-2019-2024/promoting-our-european-way-life/europeanhealth-union_en
[4] https://ec.europa.eu/info/strategy/priorities-2019-2024/european-green-deal_en
[5] https://ec.europa.eu/info/strategy/recovery-plan-europe_en
[6] https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/meetings/european-council/2020/12/10-11/
For the Present European Commission: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/commissioners/
2019–2024_en
For a deeper insight on the European Council’s history: https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/history/?filters=2031
Cini, M. and Pérez-Solórzano Borragán, European Union Politics (Oxford: Oxford University Press).
