More than 450 legal instruments - in the form of regulations, directives and so on - have been adopted by the European Union in the field of environmental protection.

The European Commission is the executive arm of the European Union. It has three key roles: firstly, to develop policy initiatives; secondly, to enforce EU legislation; and thirdly, to implement and manage EU policy. This last role includes responsibility for the EU's budget.

Besides the environment, areas of interest covered by the Commission's work include education, health, consumer affairs, trans-European networks, research & development, culture, and economic & monetary union.

All major decisions affecting the EU are made by the Council of Ministers (comprising government ministers from each of the 15 member states), usually in 'co-decision' with the European Parliament in Strasbourg. When the Commission has drawn up a draft policy, it is presented to the Parliament and the Council for approval. The three institutions then work together to deliver a result.

As part of the process of developing new legislation, the Commission consults widely with, among others, national governments, interest groups, industry, and technical experts.

The Council of Ministers can, if it wishes, amend a piece of draft legislation put forward by the Commission. However, if the Commission is unhappy with the change, then the ministers' proposed amendment must be unanimously agreed in order for it to be carried through.

The Commission itself is based in Brussels and employs around 15,000 people. It has 20 commissioners, who are typically senior figures who have previously held government office in one of the member states.

There are 36 directorates-general, each headed by a director-general. Each commissioner is responsible for one or more of these directorates.