Lobbying

  The European Commission’s policy and legislative agenda do not emerge from the ether.   There is a well-structured process for deciding on the political priorities and setting the policy and legislative agenda.   They derive from: European Council Strategic Agenda  President-elect’s Political Guidelines Mission Letters Work Programme Department 5-year Strategic Plan  Department annual Management … Read more

Impact Assessment   Note: This is not updated to take into account the new Working Methods. An impact assessment is required for Commission initiatives that are likely to have significant economic, environmental or social impacts. Work for major initiatives can begin once political validation by the First Vice President, Vice President, Commissioner and in close … Read more

Inter-service consultation   Legislative proposals, proposals for delegated and implementing acts, and impact assessment go through Commission Inter-Service Consultation. It is one the most important part of the whole legislative process. This is because whatever the Commission puts out the door, often gets adopted into the final legal text without substantive changes. Often 85%-95% of … Read more

Post 4   The Secretariat-General The Secretariat-General is at the heart of the European Commission as an institution and of its civil service. Under the authority of the President, it serves the whole College, oversees the implementation of the European Commission’s political priorities and ensures the collegiality, the consistency, the efficiency and the regularity of … Read more