European Commission

The European Commission (EC) is the executive cabinet of the European Union. It is composed of 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "commissioners") corresponding to the number of member states, unless the European Council, by unanimous consent, decides to alter this number.

The current number of commissioners is 27, including the president. It oversees an administrative body of about 32,000 European Civil Service employees. The commission is divided into departments known as Directorates-General (DGs), comparable to national ministries, each headed by a director-general (comparable to a permanent secretary) who is responsible to a commissioner.

Currently, there is one Commissioner per member state, but members are bound by their oath of office to represent the interest of the EU as a whole rather than their home state. The Commission President (currently Ursula von der Leyen) is nominated by the European Council (the 27 heads of government) and must win the confidence of the European Parliament before assuming office. The Council of the European Union then nominates the other members of the Commission in agreement with the nominated president, and the entire cabinet is then subjected to a final vote of confidence in the European Parliament. A motion of no confidence passed by a two-thirds majority in the Parliament can force the resignation of the Commission.

The sitting cabinet is the second von der Leyen Commission, which took office in December 2024, following the 2024 European Parliament elections.