A "comprehensive review of the organizational structure and operation of the European Commission" is underway in Brussels.
The head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, plans to restructure the main bureaucratic structure of the European Union.
This was reported by Politico, citing internal documents of the European Commission that the publication has reviewed.
The publication does not provide specific details on what form this restructuring may take, but reports that the European Commissioner for Budget and Public Administration, Petr Serafin, will be tasked with conducting a "comprehensive review of the organizational structure and operation of the European Commission" to create a "modern and efficient public administration to implement our political priorities," while also being able to "cope with volatility as the new normal" by simplifying the structure and "reducing costs where possible."
Two officials from the European Commission told the publication on condition of anonymity that various models involving the merger of some departments are being considered.
The review process is expected to begin at the end of 2025 or the beginning of 2026 with the participation of a high-level external advisory group consisting of 7-9 public sector experts, to which "invited experts" from the private sector may be added.
Currently, the European Commission employs 32,000 people.
As Politico notes, since her appointment as head of the European Commission in 2019, von der Leyen has sought to centralize decision-making control at her headquarters in Brussels, explaining this as a necessity to respond more quickly to crises.
In recent years, the structure of the European Commission has become more complex, and responsibility for developing and implementing key policy areas has been distributed among traditional directorates-general and the secretariat-general, which is controlled by von der Leyen herself.
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