Darbas:

issues, however, the Council takes decisions by ‘qualified majority voting’ (QMV).

A qualified majority is reached
• if a majority of member states (in some cases a two-thirds majority) approve AND
• if a minimum of 232 votes is cast4 in favour – which is 72.3% of the total.
In addition, a member state may ask for confirmation that the votes in favour represent at least 62% of the total population of the Union. If this is found not to be the case, the decision will not be adopted.

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Populous1 – gausus gyventojų, tankiai gyvenamas
Particularly2 –ypač,ypatingai, labai
Asylum3 – prieglobstis, prieglauda, slėptuvė
Cast4 – rizika, mesti, išmesti
The Commission is independent of national governments. Its job is to represent and uphold the interests of the EU as a whole. It drafts1 proposals for new European laws, which it presents to the European Parliament and the Council.

It is also the EU’s executive arm – in other words, it is responsible for implementing2 the decisions of Parliament and the Council. That means managing the day-to-day business of the European Union: implementing its policies, running its programmes and spending its funds.
Like the Parliament and Council, the European Commission was set up in the 1950s under the EU’s founding treaties.
What is the Commission?
The term ‘Commission’ is used in two senses. First, it refers to the team of men and women – one from each EU country – appointed to run the institution and take its decisions. Secondly, the term ‘Commission’ refers to the institution itself and to its staff.

Informally, the appointed Members of the Commission are known as ‘commissioners’. They have all held political positions in their countries of origin and many have been government ministers, but as Members of the Commission they are committed to acting in the interests of the Union as a whole and not taking instructions from national governments.

A new Commission is appointed every five years, within six months of the elections3 to the European Parliament. The procedure is as follows:
• The member state governments agree together on who to designate4 as the new Commission President.
• The Commission President-designate is then approved by Parliament.
• The Commission President-designate, in discussion with the member state governments, chooses the other Members of the Commission.
• The new Parliament then interviews each Member and gives its opinion on the whole team. Once it is approved, the new Commission can officially start work.

The present Commission’s term of office runs until 31 October 2009. Its President is José Manuel Barroso, from Portugal.

The Commission remains5 politically accountable6 to Parliament, which has the power to dismiss the whole Commission by adopting a motion of censure. Individual members of the Commission must resign7 if asked to do so by the President, provided the other commissioners approve.
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Draft1 – metmenys, apmatai, planas
Implement2 – įrankis, priemonė, reikmenys
Election3 – rinkimai, išrinkimas
Designate4 – paskirtas, bet dar nepradėjęs eiti pareigų
Remain5 – pasilikti, išlikti
Accountable6 – atsakingas, atskaitingas
Resign7 – atsisakyti, atsistatydinti, atsižadėti

The Commission attends all the sessions of Parliament, where it must clarify and justify its policies. It also replies regularly to written and oral questions posed by MEPs.
The day-to-day running of the Commission is done by its administrative officials, experts, translators, interpreters and secretarial staff. There are approximately 25 000 of these European civil servants. That may sound a lot, but in fact it is fewer than the number of staff employed by a typical medium-sized city council in Europe.
Where is the Commission based?
The ‘seat’ of the Commission is in Brussels (Belgium), but it also has offices in Luxembourg, representations in all EU countries and delegations in many capital cities around the world.
What does the Commission do?
The European Commission has four main roles:
1. to propose legislation to Parliament and the Council;
2. to manage and implement EU policies and the budget;
3. to enforce1 European law (jointly with the Court of Justice);
4. to represent the European Union on the international stage, for example by negotiating agreements between the EU and other countries.
1. Proposing new legislation
The Commission has the ‘right of initiative2’. In other words, the Commission alone is responsible for drawing up proposals for new European legislation, which it presents to Parliament and the Council. These proposals must aim to defend the interests of the Union and its citizens, not those of specific countries or industries.
Before making any proposals, the Commission must be aware3 of new situations and problems developing in Europe and it must consider whether EU legislation is the best way to deal with them. That is why the Commission is in constant touch with a wide range of interest groups and with two advisory4 bodies – the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions. It also seeks5 the opinions of national parliaments and governments.
The Commission will propose action at EU level only if it considers that a