Commissione europea

The author aims to illustrate the specificity and the originality of the functions of the European Commission as regards national and other European institutions. He argues that the European Commission is not purely administrative, but a political body and that it cannot be regarded as "the government" of the European Union because its composition, functioning and responsibilities differ significantly from those of national governments. In the European institutional system, the European Commission has the essential task of identifying and promoting general European interests, while the Council of Ministers represents the national interests of the Member States and the European Parliament the interests of European citizens.