The appointment process
Electing the President
Every five years, the European Council - made up of EU heads of state and government - proposes a candidate for the President of the European Commission to the European Parliament.
The candidate for President is proposed based on the political make-up of the Parliament following the European elections; typically, they will be chosen from the largest political family in the Parliament.
If an absolute majority of members of Parliament support the nominee, he or she is elected.
Selecting the team
The Council of the European Union, in agreement with the Commission’s President-elect, adopts a list of Commissioners-designate based on suggestions from EU Member States.
Each nominee for a Commissioner must appear before the parliamentary committee with responsibility for his or her proposed portfolio. Committee members then vote on the nominee’s suitability for the position.
The President, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and the other members of the Commission are then subject, as a body, to a vote of consent by the Parliament.
Following Parliament's vote, the President of the European Commission and the Commissioners are appointed by the European Council.
Accountability
The European Commission is held democratically accountable by the European Parliament, which has the right to approve and dismiss the entire political leadership of the Commission.
The European Commission is also accountable for putting the EU budget into practice. Every year, the Parliament chooses to give (or not) its blessing to the European Commission on the way it has managed the EU budget. This process is called the discharge. The Parliament bases its decision on several reports from the European Court of Auditors and from the European Commission, including the annual management and performance report for the EU budget.
Decision-making
Though there is one Commissioner from each EU country, their job is to defend the interests of the EU as a whole – rather than national interests.
Within the European Commission, they are the decision-makers. For example, collectively they:
- make decisions on the Commission's strategies and policies
- propose laws, funding programmes and the annual budget for discussion and adoption by the Parliament and the Council
All Commissioners are equal in the decision-making process, and held equally accountable for these decisions. The Commission collectively decides on its work through written or oral procedure.
For more information on the Commission’s decision-making, see: