The accountability of the EU Commission, as the EU's Executive

This chapter begins with a reminder of the role currently played by the European Commission, as the Executive of the European Union in the Union’s institutional system. It summarises the many controls carried out on the Commission, with the provisions of the Treaty and/or its own commitments, to ensure that its action is considered legitimate and that its political and/or legal responsibility can be engaged towards the other institutions of the Union or the citizens of Europe. Furthermore, the chapter refers to the various commitments made by the Commission in a series of interinstitutional agreements concluded with the European Parliament and the Council which may affect its political accountability.