Explainer-What is the European Commission

Explainer-What is the European Commission

European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen announced on Tuesday the new lineup of the executive arm of the European Union that runs the affairs of the 27-nation bloc on a daily basis and makes sure EU countries abide by the bloc's laws.

Here is what the Commission does:

It is one of the three main institutions of the EU, alongside the European Parliament with its 720 deputies from all EU countries and the European Council, which groups representatives of all EU governments.

It is arguably the most powerful of the three, because it is the only EU institution that can propose new European laws. The Commission employs 32,000 people and is based in Brussels.

It is now run by President Ursula von der Leyen, appointed for a second term in July, who chairs the college of EU commissioners, the Commission's decision making body.

The 27 commissioners, one from each EU country, are the equivalent of government ministers at the EU level and each has a portfolio to manage -- agriculture, energy, migration, economy, climate change, trade, etc.

The commissioners change every five years, but the rest of the Commission staff stays, providing the EU with am apolitical civil service.