The European Commission is the executive branch of the European Union, responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the EU treaties and managing the day-to-day business of the EU. The Commissioners are proposed by the Council of the European Union, on the basis of suggestions made by the national governments, and then appointed by the European Council after the approval of the European Parliament.
The term Commission is variously used, either in the narrow sense of the 28-member College of Commissioners or to also include the administrative body of about 32,000 European civil servants who are split into departments called directorates-general and services. The Members of the Commission and their “cabinets” are based in the Berlaymont building in Brussels.
