Essay --

Although the European Union consists of a large variety of institutions, the most important institution is the European Commission. Established in 1958 and based in Luxemburg and Brussels, this hybrid institution (executive and bureaucratic) â€Å"epitomizes supranationalism and lies at the center of the EU political system† (Dinan, 2010, p. 171). It has a substantial bulk of responsibilities and carries out these responsibilities with a vast number of constituents, acting as the executive for the EU. These responsibilities include anything from drafting and initiating policy to managing the financial framework of the EU, and can have a large impact on the other institutions of the EU. In order to â€Å"promote the general interests of the Union,† the Commission strives to unify the interests of the member states and is continually working for implementation and harmonization of EU law (Dinan, 2010, p. 191). Although not the most popular, in the sense that â€Å"Europeans generally view the Commission as power-hungry, insensitive to their concerns, and subversive of national political systems,† the Commission carries out responsibilities that play a key role in EU policy on a daily basis (Dinan, 2010, p. 171-172). These responsibilities include drafting and initiating policy, supervising the enforcement of the acquis communautaire and other legislation, managing the budget, and representing the interests of the EU internationally. Given its core position within the structure of the EU (kind of as an overseer of the EU as a whole), the Commission has developed active relations with the other institutions in order to carry out these responsibilities. Although other institutions also play an active role in the implementation of EU policy, no othe... ...itiate policy, supervise the enforcement of the acquis communautaire and other legislation, manage the budget, and represent the interests of the EU internationally. Although it may not have the final say in arbiting law, it has quite a lot of influence on the Council and ECJ due to its knowledge on the acquis communautaire and EU law. Due to its high volume of responsibilities, the Commission must have a large number of experts in order to fulfill them. If anything about drafting or initiating law is in question, there will always be an expert that can answer it, whether it is a DG or advisory committee. Through this network of responsibilities and experts, the Commission has become the most important institution by being able to effectively â€Å"implement a range of EU policies and programs;† one of the most prominent goals of the European Union (Dinan, 2010, p. 202).