The European Commission adopted its internal working rules, its organisation chart and the rules governing the composition of the European Commissioners’ cabinets on Wednesday 4 December, at the first meeting of the ‘von der Leyen II’ College of Commissioners.
In particular, the EU institution sets out the rules for preparing and holding the College’s weekly meetings. It reminds that the College will be made up of six executive vice-presidents - including the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Kaja Kallas - and 20 commissioners acting within clusters led by a vice-president, such as the one on ‘Clean, Just and Competitive Transition’, headed by Teresa Ribera.
The working rules underline the importance of the project to simplify existing EU rules. Under the responsibility of Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis (see EUROPE 13520/5), each member of the Commission will be tasked with screening the legislation falling within their remit to see how it can be updated to reduce the administrative burden.
The Commission is also introducing a ‘jour fixe’ to enable members of the College to take regular stock of progress with the departments under its management.
See the Commission’s working methods: https://aeur.eu/f/enr
Cabinets. The Commission has also laid down its internal rules for the composition of the European Commissioners’ cabinets (hierarchical grade, number of nationalities, special advisers). The workings of the Spokesperson’s Service, which reports directly to the President, Ursula von der Leyen, and its relationship with the political hierarchy are also described.
See the rules on the composition of European Commissioners’ cabinets: https://aeur.eu/f/ens
Organisation chart. Finally, the European Commission has officially decided on the delimitation of the powers of the European Commissioners and the departments of the EU institution under their authority.
For example, the Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry and Entrepreneurship (DG GROW), under the responsibility of Executive Vice-President Stéphane Séjourné, is losing units linked to tourism and skills, but gaining the units responsible for implementing the InvestEU programme from the Economic and Financial Affairs departments (DG ECFIN). In addition, the Commission has extended the obligation to disclose meetings held with representatives of interest groups to all its management staff (secretary-general, director-general, deputy secretary-general, deputy director-general, director, head of unit) - an additional 1,100 people according to MEP Daniel Freund (Greens/EFA, German). Previously, this obligation only concerned European Commissioners, members of their cabinets and the directors-general of the EU institution, i.e. 400 people.
See the full organisation chart: https://aeur.eu/f/ent
See the Commission decision: https://aeur.eu/f/eo5 (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)