The Secretariat-General supports the European Commission, the college of Commissioners especially, in its daily work. It does so in various ways; it track legislative proposals submitted to the other EU institutions, aids in monitoring the implementation of EU-legislation in the member-states, help manage contacts between the EU and civil society. It also supports the Commission president in his or her activities as policy-maker.
In particular, the Secretariat-General:
-
Contributes to the definition of the Commission's strategic objectives and priorities and shapes cross-cutting policies;
-
Coordinates, facilitates, advises and arbitrates, so as to ensure the coherence, quality and delivery of policy, legislation and operations across policy areas and Commission departments;
-
Coordinates the planning and programming of the initiatives of the Commission;
-
ensures the smooth running of the decision-making process and strives to rationalise both procedures and supporting IT tools as part of the evolution towards an efficient and modern e-Commission;
-
Acts as the Commission's interface with the other European institutions, national parliaments and non-governmental organisations and entities;
-
Fosters the Commission's institutional competences and the development of a service-oriented, modern, transparent and responsible European administration which works to the highest standards of ethics and integrity.
There are 1399 proposals for legislative or other legal instruments of this Directorate-General in negotiations with the Council and the European Parliament.
There are 117 laws or other legal instruments of the Council and the European Parliament, previously proposed by this Directorate-General, which are currently being implemented by the member states.