Editing European Commission (section)

==College of Commissioners ==
{{For|members of the current Commission|Von der Leyen Commission II}}
The commission is composed of a "College of [[European Commissioner|Commissioners]]" of {{EUnum}} members, including the President and vice-presidents. Even though each member is nominated on the basis of the suggestions made by the national governments, one per state, they do not represent their state in the commission.<ref name="bbc examine">{{cite news|last=Lungescu|first=Oana|work=BBC News|title =Examining the EU executive|date=23 July 2004|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/letter_from_america/3921303.stm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120201095441/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/letter_from_america/3921303.stm|url-status=dead|archive-date=1 February 2012|access-date=21 May 2020}}</ref> In practice, however, they do occasionally press for their national interest.<ref>{{cite book|last=Eppink|first=Derk-Jan|author-link=Derk Jan Eppink|translator=Ian Connerty|title=Life of a European Mandarin: Inside the Commission|publisher=Lannoo|edition=1st|location=Tielt, Belgium|year=2007|isbn=978-90-209-7022-7|page=[https://archive.org/details/lifeofeuropeanma00eppi/page/119 119]|url=https://archive.org/details/lifeofeuropeanma00eppi/page/119}}</ref> Once proposed, the President delegates [[List of European Commission portfolios|portfolios]] among each of the members. The power of a Commissioner largely depends upon their portfolio, and can vary over time. For example, the [[European Commissioner for Education, Training & Culture|Education Commissioner]] has been growing in importance, in line with the rise in the importance of education and culture in European policy-making.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.consilium.europa.eu/ueDocs/cms_Data/docs/pressData/en/ec/99410.pdf|archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20080705113103/http://www.consilium.europa.eu/ueDocs/cms_Data/docs/pressData/en/ec/99410.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=5 July 2008|title=Brussels European Council, Presidency Conclusions|publisher=Council of the European Union|year=2008|access-date=20 August 2009|quote=See paragraphs 7, 8 & 13 of the Presidency conclusions of the European Council on 13/14 March 2008}}</ref> Another example is the [[European Commissioner for Competition|Competition Commissioner]], who holds a highly visible position with global reach.<ref name="bbc examine"/> Before the commission can assume office, the college as a whole must be approved by the Parliament.<ref name="Europa Institutions"/> Commissioners are supported by their [[Cabinet (European Commission)|personal cabinet]] who give them political guidance, while the [[European Civil Service|Civil Service]] (the DGs, see below) deal with technical preparation.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/europeancommissi0000nuge|url-access=registration|title=The European Commission|first=Neill|last=Nugent|date=2 July 2001|publisher=Palgrave|via=Internet Archive|isbn=9780333587430}}</ref>

===Appointment===
[[File:European Commission Room (Open Day) 1.jpg|thumb|upright|Floor 13 of the Berlaymont, Commission's meeting room]]
The [[President of the European Commission|President of the Commission]] is appointed in an [[indirect election]]. The candidate is first selected by the [[European Council]], according to the [[Voting in the Council of the European Union|Qualified Majority Vote]] (QMV), taking into account the latest [[Elections in the European Union|parliamentary elections]] (any person from the largest party can be picked<ref>{{Cite web |first=Jorg |last=Himmelreich |title=Ursula von der Leyen's EU nomination is a win for Emmanuel Macron DW 05.07.2019 |url=https://www.dw.com/en/ursula-von-der-leyens-eu-nomination-is-a-win-for-emmanuel-macron/a-49494510 |access-date=2022-03-25 |website=DW |language=en-GB |archive-date=25 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220325224810/https://www.dw.com/en/ursula-von-der-leyens-eu-nomination-is-a-win-for-emmanuel-macron/a-49494510 |url-status=live }}</ref>). That candidate then faces [[Approval voting|approval]] by the [[European Parliament]]. If the European Parliament fails to elect the candidate, the European Council shall propose another within one month.<ref name="Article 17:7 TEU" /><ref name="Schütze 2012">{{cite book|last1=Schütze|first1=Robert|title=European Constitutional Law|url=https://archive.org/details/europeanconstitu0000schu/page/99/mode/2up|date=2012|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0521-73275-8|pages=99–100, 118}}</ref>

Following the selection of the President, and the appointment of the [[High Representative]] by the European Council, each [[European Commissioner|Commissioner]] is proposed by their member state (except for those states who provided the President and High Representative) in consultation with the Commission President and the [[Council of the European Union]], who formally adopts the list of candidates. The President's proposed College of Commissioners is then subject to hearings at the [[European Parliament]] which will question them and then vote on their suitability as a whole. If the European Parliament submits a negative opinion of a candidate, the President must either reshuffle them or request a new candidate from the member state to avoid the college's outright rejection by the European Parliament. Once the college is approved by parliament, it is formally appointed following a QMV vote by the [[European Council]].<ref name="Article 17:7 TEU" />

Following the college's appointment, the President appoints a number of [[Vice-President of the European Commission|Vice-presidents]] from among the commissioners. Vice-presidents manage policy areas involving multiple Commissioners.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Commissioners |url=https://commissioners.ec.europa.eu/index_en |access-date=2023-07-20 |website=European Commission |language=en}}</ref> One of these includes the [[High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy|High Representative]], who is automatically one of the Vice-presidents [[Ex officio member|''ex officio'']] rather than by appointment and confirmation. Commonly referred to as the 'HR/VP' position, the High Representative also coordinates commissioners' activities involving the external relations and defence cooperation of the European Union. The [[Von der Leyen Commission I|von der Leyen Commission]] also created the position of more senior [[Vice-President of the European Commission|Executive Vice-presidents]], appointed from the three largest political groups in the European Parliament. Unlike the other vice-presidents, their mission is to manage the incumbent Commission's top priority policy areas, for which they receive additional support from a dedicated [[Directorate-General]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-12-04 |title=The Working Methods of the von der Leyen Commission |url=https://commission.europa.eu/about-european-commission/what-european-commission-does/delivering-political-priorities/working-methods-von-der-leyen-commission_en |access-date=2023-07-20 |website=European Commission |language=en}}</ref>

===Dismissal===
The European Parliament can dissolve the College of Commissioners as a whole following a [[vote of no-confidence]], which requires a two-thirds vote.

Only the President can request the resignation of an individual Commissioner. However, individual Commissioners, by request of the council or Commission, can be compelled to retire on account of a breach of obligation(s) and if so ruled by the European Court of Justice (Art. 245 and 247, Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union).

===Political styles===
The [[Barroso Commission]] took office in late 2004 after being delayed by objections from the Parliament, which forced a reshuffle. In 2007 the Commission increased from 25 to 27 members with the accession of Romania and Bulgaria who each appointed their own Commissioners. With the increasing size of the commission, Barroso adopted a more presidential style of control over the college, which earned him some criticism.<ref>{{cite web|last=Beunderman|first=Mark|publisher=EU Observer|title=EU commission sees civil servants' power grow|date=22 February 2007|url=http://euobserver.com/843/23553|access-date=27 February 2007|archive-date=23 October 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071023004954/http://euobserver.com/843/23553|url-status=live}}</ref>

However, under Barroso, the commission began to lose ground to the larger member states as countries such as France, the UK and Germany sought to sideline its role. This has increased with the creation of the [[President of the European Council]] under the [[Treaty of Lisbon]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Iey Berry|first=Peter Sain|publisher=EU Observer|title=[Comment] Power is slipping from the commission to the council|date=18 January 2008|url=http://euobserver.com/9/25484|access-date=18 January 2008|archive-date=5 June 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605071233/http://euobserver.com/9/25484|url-status=live}}</ref> There has also been a greater degree of [[European Commissioner#Politicisation|politicisation within the Commission]].