The European Commission – Supranational or Intergovernmental Character?

The Commission represents one of the three basic institutions of the European Union. Regarding it, many problems were debated over time. One of the most important problems is about its institutional character: is it an intergovernmentalist institution or rather a supranationalist one? In the first part of this paper I will analyze some of the arguments in favour of characterizing the Commission as an intergovernmentalist institution; in the second part, I will present some of the pro arguments for the supranational character of the Commission; finally, I will emphasize these, as I will declare myself in their favour.