European Commission
Advocacy Toolbox

Consult the outcome of requests for access to documents of EU institutions under Regulation 2001/1049 or file your own request. AskTheEU.org is a civil society open source platform. Requests can also be filed via the website of the institution holding the documents.

Search press material from the Commission Spokesperson's Service

Work programmes of the Commission from 2007 to 2022. The annexes list the new initiatives for each political priority as well as revisions, evaluations, fitness checks of existing regulations, pending proposals that will be prioritised or withdrawn, and existing legislation which the Commission proposes to repeal.

Register of EU law, EU case law and parliamentary questions. Includes a feature to search by EU lawmaking procedures. Also includes a register of national law and case law of Member states.

European Commission consultation website

Political guidelines presented by Ursula von der Leyen to the EP in 2019 and links to the six political priorities of the current Commission.

The Regulatory Scrutiny Board (RSB) is an independent body within the Commission that provides quality control on draft impact assessments, fitness checks, and on major evaluations of existing legislation.

Understand the decision-making process for secondary legislation.

Responsibilities, structure and organisation of the Commission (College, cabinets, services, Commissioners’ groups, Spokespersons' Service).

The Commission's Better Regulation agenda is meant to ensure EU law-making is evidence-based, transparent and based on the views of stakeholders. The toolbox contains detailed advice for each step in the policy cycle based on the Better Regulation guidelines.

Commission DGs and other services: organisation chart.

Main commitments made Commissioners-designates at their hearings before the European Parliament (September-November 2019 and October 2020).

Independent and impartial non-judicial body that holds the EU’s institutions and agencies to account. File a complaint to report maladministration by an institution. Read the reports of the Ombudsman's proactive investigations on systemic issues.

Search a register of decisions of the Commission on infringements of EU law by Member States. Report an infringement.

Register of groups advising the Commission for the preparation and implementation of legislation and policies, and of other consultative entities managed by the Commission.

Comitology procedures give Member States a say in implementing acts. The register contains a list of all comitology committees and documents that enable you to trace the different stages of an implementing act throughout its entire lifecycle. For delegated acts, see the Register of Commission Expert Groups.

National parliaments have a role in EU decision-making through the subsidiarity control mechanism. Access reasoned opinions of national parliaments on Commission proposals and Commission replies. See also the 'IPEX' and 'REGPEX' tools in the 'Other institutions' toolbox.

Presentation of Commissioners and their teams. Additional information: portfolio, allocation of services, mission letter, EP confirmation hearing, calendar, meetings with stakeholders, declaration of interests.

Work programme of the Commission for 2023 adopted in October 2022. The annexes list the new initiatives for each political priority as well as revisions, evaluations, fitness checks of existing regulations, pending proposals that will be prioritised or withdrawn, and existing legislation which the Commission proposes to repeal.

Official directory of the EU

Understand the different parts of EU legislative acts and the principles that guide their drafting and amending.

Annual management plan of each Commission DG and service setting out main priorities and outputs for the coming year

Agendas and minutes of meetings held by the College of Commissioners. Proposals, impact assessments, communications, delegated and implementing acts and other Commission decisions.

Access to the various steps in the preparation, adoption, scrutiny and publication of secondary legislation. Calendar of meetings of expert groups advising the Commission on Delegated Acts.

What interests are being pursued, by whom and with what budgets? See also lobbyfacts.eu and www.integritywatch.eu