Commission of the European Communities

Commission of the European Communities in Law Enforcement

Main Entry: Law Enforcement in the Legal Dictionary. This section provides, in the context of Law Enforcement, a partial definition of Commission of the European Communities.

Resources

See Also

• Law Enforcement Officer
• Police Officer
• Law Enforcement Agency

Further Reading

• Commission of the European Communities in A Dictionary of Law Enforcement (Oxford University Press)
• Commission of the European Communities in the Encyclopedia of Law Enforcement
• A Treatise on the Police of the Metropolis

Meaning of Commission of The European Communities

In the context of Europe, and according to A Dictionary of Law, the following is a definition of Commission of The European Communities : (European Commission, Commission of the European Communities)

An organ of the European Union formed in 1967, having both executive and legislative functions. It is composed of 20 Commissioners, who must be nationals of member states and are appointed by member states by mutual agreement (two Commissioners each from the five largest member states – France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK; one each from the remaining members); their appointment must be approved by the *European Parliament. Each Commissioner assumes responsibility for a particular field of activity and oversees the department (Directorate General) devoted to that field (See Appendix II). Once appointed, the Commissioners must act in the interests of the EU; they are not to be regarded as representatives of their countries and must not seek or take instructions from any government or other body. Each Commissioner is appointed for a (renewable) four-year period. The Commission’s executive functions include administration of Community funds and ensuring that Community law is enforced (See European court of justice). Its legislative functions consist primarily of submitting proposals for legislation to the *Council of the European Union, in some cases on the orders of the Council and in others on its own initiative (See also European parliament). It also has legislative powers of its own, partly under the Treaty of Rome and partly by virtue of delegation by the Council, but only on a limited range of subjects (See Community legislation).