European Commission

The European Commission (formally the Commission of the European Communities) is the executive of the European Union. Alongside the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union, it is one of the three main institutions governing the Union. Its primary roles are to propose and enact legislation, and to act as 'guardian of the treaties' which provide the legal basis for the EU. The role of the European Commission has many parallels with the executive body of a national government, but also differences (see below for details).

See also

• Institutions of the European Union
• President of the European Commission
• Delors Commission
• Santer Commission
• Prodi Commission
• Barroso Commission
• Directive on the patentability of computer-implemented inventions caused controversy over how much power the European Commission should have.