European Commission

The Commission has 20 Commissioners, who are appointed every five years. The appointments must be confirmed by the European Parliament and national governments.

The European Commission has four main roles:

• to propose laws to the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers;
• to administer and implement the policies of the EU;
• to enforce EU law (jointly with the Court of Justice);
• to negotiate international agreements, mainly those relating to trade and co-operation.