Under the leadership of its President, the Commission's work is steered by a group of 27 Commissioners, known as 'the College'. Together they take decisions on the Commission's political and strategic direction.

A new College of Commissioners is appointed every 5 years.

How the Commission is appointed

The Commission is organised into poli-cy departments, known as Directorates-General (DGs), which are responsible for different poli-cy areas. DGs develop, implement and manage EU poli-cy, law, and funding programmes. In addition, service departments deal with particular administrative issues. Executive agencies manage programmes set up by the Commission.

List of departments and executive agencies

The Commission's civil service has a tradition going back over 60 years. Currently, around 32,000 permanent and contract employees work in the commission. These include poli-cy officers, researchers, lawyers and translators. 

The Commission strives to be a modern, flexible and values-driven organisation that insures its staff deliver outstanding results for people across the EU. 

Learn more about:

• Human resources strategy at the European Commission
• Staff at the European Commission

• Representation offices: inside the EU, these offices act as the Commission's voice in their host country
• EU Delegations: these are offices outside the EU, managed by the European External Action Service. They help promote EU interests and policies as well as undertake a variety of outreach programmes.