"Exactly fifty years ago, the Commission of the European Community convened its very first meeting. It is an institution that has given a lot to the community project and that will keep carrying out the tasks that the Treaties entrust to it": José Manuel Barroso, who is in Strasbourg to follow the meeting of the Parliament of the 27 member states, recalls the half a century of work of the EU Executive, which was appointed on January 7th 1958 (presided by Walter Hallstein) and convened its very first meeting on 16th January the same year. "We have just achieved some important results, starting from the Reform Treaty, and new engagements are already waiting for us, from the ratifications to the Lisbon Strategy", through to the measures against climate change. "2008 will be a year of intensive engagements, synergism and cooperation with the Slovenian presidency on duty". According to the Treaties, the EU Commission "represents and defends the interests of Europe as a whole" and is independent of the national Governments. It has independent law-making powers and draws up its own budget (although its directives and budget depend on the final approval of the EU Council and the EU Parliament). It makes sure the legislation is abided by. The EU Executive is composed of 27 members, one per State, "assisted by approximately 24 thousand officers"; it is based in Brussels.
