The European Commission (EC) is part of the executive of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission headed by a President. It includes an administrative body of about 32,000 European civil servants. The commission is divided into departments known as Directorates-General (DGs) that can be likened to departments or ministries each headed by a Director-General who is responsible to a Commissioner.
The Berlaymont building, seat of the European Commission
Walter Hallstein, the first President of the Commission
Incumbent President von der Leyen
Floor 13 of the Berlaymont, Commission's meeting room
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of 27 member states that are located primarily in Europe. The Union has a total area of 4,233,255 km2 (1,634,469 sq mi) and an estimated total population of over 448 million. The EU has often been described as a sui generis political entity combining the characteristics of both a federation and a confederation.
Treaty of Paris (1951), establishing the ECSC
Signing ceremony of the Treaty of Rome (1957), establishing the ECC
Gerald Ford and the American delegation at the CSCE (1975)
Maastricht Treaty (1992), establishing the EU
