The European Commission

The European Commission has wide-ranging responsibilities for the day-to-day functioning of the European Union. It oversees the application of EU law, it proposes legislation, it executes the Union’s budget and manages programmes and it represents the Union in the wider world in areas such as trade and development.

The President of the European Commission is nominated by the European Council (i.e. the Member States) and is subject to election by the European Parliament. The current President, José Manuel Barroso, is presiding over a team of 26 Commissioners for a five-year term that commenced in February 2010.

Each Member State nominates a Commissioner, who is in turn allocated an area of responsibility by the Commission President. Ireland’s Commissioner is Máire Geoghegan Quinn and she has responsibility for Research, Policy and Innovation.

The European Commission Representation in Ireland is open to the public and provides information to Irish citizens on the policies, activities and funding opportunities managed by the Commission.