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Flashcards in The European Commission Deck (34)
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1
Q

How are Commissioners appointed?

A

By the Council of Ministers and European Parliament

2
Q

What is the role of the Commission?

A

Implementing and enforcing policy and enjoys substantial discretion as to how this is done

3
Q

Power of the Commission

• Executive power

A

The Commission holds ‘executive power’ with its governmental powers

4
Q

What did Guy Verhofstadt said about the Commission?

A

Former Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt, have suggested changing its name to the ‘European Government’

5
Q

Power of the Commission

• Legislative initiative

A

The Commission initiates, and therefore shapes, policy. Other bodies do not have this legislative initiative. It remains closely involved in all discussions that take place while proposals are being debated by other bodies

6
Q

What areas are the Commission responsible?

A

The Commission has responsibility for specific areas of foreign policy, especially trade and for negotiations with applicant states

7
Q

How did the Lisbon Treaty strengthen the Commission’s power?

A

Since the Lisbon Treaty the Council of Ministers can no longer withdraw the Commission’s powers, and this was only theoretical. They are now granted directly by treaties

8
Q

Limitation of the Commission

• Not elected

A

The Commission is not directly elected but is appointed by both the Council of Ministers and the European Parliament having a role in this

9
Q

Limitation of the Commission

• Making proposals

A

In practice the Commission is mainly limited to making policy proposals

10
Q

The power of the Council of Minister is greater than the Commission

A

The Council of Ministers makes most policy decisions and is where key inter-minsterial negotiations take place

11
Q

Limitation of the Commission

• Negotiation

A

Much real negotiation goes on outside of all EU institutions, between ministers from the larger member states

12
Q

The European Parliament has greater power than the Commission under the Lisbon Treaty

A

The European Parliament, since the adoption of the Lisbon Treaty, has become more powerful, particularly in EU legislation, and this is likely to curtail the power of the Commission

13
Q

The position of the Commission has been eroded by

• Increasing power of the EP

A

The increasing power of the European Parliament, which can influence policy and sack Commissioners

14
Q

The position of the Commission has been eroded by

• Separate structure

A

The establishment of a separate structure to oversee the Common Foreign and Security Policy

15
Q

The position of the Commission has been eroded by

•Expansion

A

The growth of the EU, making the Commission, with 27 Commissioners, unwieldy

16
Q

The Commission remains significant

• EP’s nuclear option

A

The European Parliament is reluctant to use its ‘nuclear option’ of sacking the Commissioners

17
Q

The Commission remains significant

• Foreign policy

A

Its remaining foreign policy responsibilities have grown in importance, especially international trade and the environment

18
Q

What is the Commission’s role in relation to the Council

A

It can be described as the servant of the Council of Ministers, carrying out their decisions.

19
Q

The Commission is held accountable by

• The European Parliament

A

The European Parliament, which is directly democratically accountable, elects the President of the Commission

20
Q

Example when Parliament reject a Commission

A

The European Parliament is able to reject or dismiss the whole Commission, such as over corruption allegations in 1999, and in practice individual commissioners may be reshuffled or withdrawn to prevent this.

21
Q

The Commission is held accountable by

• Regular appearance in Parliament

A

Commissioners and the Commission President must appear regularly before the European Parliament to account for their actions and must, after each election, be scrutinised and approved as a team

22
Q

The Commission is held accountable by

• Parliament’s rejection

A

The European Parliament and the Council of Ministers can reject Policy Initiatives from the Commission

23
Q

Controversy of accountability

• Media

A

There is no direct accountability to the electorate, and a lack of public and media interest in their role

24
Q

Controversy of accountability

• Individual commissioners

A

Individual commissioners cannot be dismissed or rejected by the EU Parliament

25
Q

Controversy of accountability

• Staffing

A

There is an imbalance of resources whereby the commission has much higher staffing and funding than those tasked with holding them to account

26
Q

Controversy of accountability

• Operate freely

A

Although commissioners must account for their actions, in practice they operate freely with their portfolio with little check on their work or decisions.

27
Q

What is the administrative cost of the Commission

A

The European Commission accounts for half of the total spending on EU administration by employing around 33,600 people in 2009.

28
Q

Limitation of Commission on laws

A

The Commission cannot foist laws upon EU member states

29
Q

Example of Commission failed to propose law

A

The Commission spent eight years trying to get EU countries to agree to a law on cleaning up Europe’s contaminated soils, but eventually withdrew the bill in the face of blocking minority, which included the UK

30
Q

MEPs and the president of the Commission

A

Since 2014, MEPs have chosen who gets to be president of the Commission

31
Q

What is a ‘Spitzenkandidat’?

A

Major political groups now nominate a lead candidate, or ‘Spitzenkandidate’, for the President of the European Commission, who is then approved by the Parliament

32
Q

Lack democratic accountability

A

The European Commission is an entirely appointed institution, not democratically elected, and it has the monopoly of proposing laws

33
Q

It’s not a competition

A

There is no competition over who has political authority and sets the agenda at the European level

34
Q

New legislation needs approve

A

New legislation proposed by the Commission still has to be agreed by the member states and passed by the European Parliament, which is directly elected by EU voters