| Summary/Abstract |
As the executive body of the European Union (EU), the European Commission represents the interests of the EU as a whole through its right of legislative initiative, its executive functions, and its duties of representation regarding the EU’s twenty-eight member states. Under the leadership of President Jean-Claude Juncker, the commission is carving out a new, more political role for itself. At a time of great political uncertainty—exacerbated by the sovereign debt crisis and the sensitive political and humanitarian consequences of nearby conflicts in Ukraine and Syria—the commission must demonstrate clear political leadership in the interests of Europe.
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