The European Commission

What exactly is the European Commission?

The EU Commission is the executive body, or government, of the European Union. It consists of 27 commissioners who are nominated by the governments of each member state in the EU and subsequently confirmed by the EU Parliament. The Commission is headed by a Commission President, who sets the political direction and common strategic goals.

Hard Facts

Period of office:
5 years

Members:
One commissioner from each of the 27 member countries

German Commissioner and President of the Commission:
Ursula von der Leyen since December 1^st, 2019.

Responsible commissioners for climate and environmental policy:

Frans Timmermans: Green Deal
Kadri Simson: Energy
Virginijus Sinkevičius: Environment,
Oceans and fisheries

What does the European Commission do?

	Legislation: On an European scale, only the EU Commission has the right to make legislative proposals (= right of initiative), which are then voted on by the Council of Ministers and the EU Parliament. The commissioners always have the common interests of the EU in mind and not those of their countries of origin.
	Enforcement of EU law: Together with the European Court of Justice, the EU Commission ensures that all member states apply EU law correctly.

What else?
The EU Commission also monitors how money is spent for in the EU and negotiates international treaties.

Find out what the Commissions position is on the environment and climate!

Open the position paper and take notes!

Did you know

…that the majority of the members of the European Parliament needs to support the candidates for President of the Commission? Since December, 1^st 2019 the German Commissioner Ursula von der Leyen is chair of the European Commission.

Did you know…

… that the EU Commission uses a council of experts when working on new legislation and engages with the needs of the European citizens?

Commissioner

Who am I?

You are an EU Commissioner. You perform tasks similar to those of national governments, only at an EU level. Therefore, you do not represent the interests of a particular member state or political group, but always the common interests of the European Union.

What are your goals in climate and environmental policy?

To the point!

You are committed to the development and implementation of an European Green Deal. The primary goal of this deal is the climate neutrality of the EU by 2050. However, securing the prosperity of all Europeans is just as important to you as protecting the climate and the environment. The Green Deal is designed to protect the environment and the climate while leaving none of its members behind.

What does that mean exactly?

Investing in the energy transition!
You are betting on generous investments! Both the EU and the individual member states should spend a lot of money on the development and expansion of renewable energies in the future. However, you reject bans on climate-damaging energy, as this would harm the EU’s economic viability.

Support the mobility revolution!
Transport in the EU should become CO2-neutral as soon as possible. But you want to achieve this without bans. Instead of banning CO2 emissions, you rely on subsidizing (= financially supporting) alternative, sustainable mobility. Among other things, you want to promote e-cars, hydrogen engines and the expansion of train lines with EU funds!

Boost the circular economy!
Your goal is to decrease the waste of valuable resources! You want to establish a circular economy based on reuse, maintenance, repair and recycling. Binding rules must be established to achieve this. For example, you support a duty to recycle plastic.

Make agriculture sustainable!
You demand for agriculture in the EU to become more sustainable. However, you rely on the voluntary cooperation of the agricultural sector. Bans and requirements would only unnecessarily increase bureaucracy (= administration) in the EU!

What to do with the arguments?

Please write down your arguments and have them ready for discussion!

As a representative the European Commission, you will be asked to briefly present your arguments before each discussion section.

As the „Government of the EU“, the European Commission has the right of initiative and propose legislation and laws. Nevertheless, even after each proposal, it continues to consult with the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers. Participate actively in the discussion, try to defend your points of view and highlight the common interests and the idea of Europe.