DIRECTORATE-GENERAL

:''The European Patent Office also comprises Directorates-Generals. See Directorates-General.''
:''The Secretariat of the European Parliament also comprises Directorates-Generals. See Directorate-Generals.''
In the European Union, the staff of the main institutions (Commission, Council and Parliament) are organized into a number of distinct departments, known as 'Directorates-General' (DGs), each of which is responsible for specific tasks or policy areas [1]. The administrative head of a DG is known as the ''Director-General''.
In the European Commission a policy area that is within the responsibility of a Commissioner may affect several DGs. Some commissioners are consequently responsible for policy that affects several DGs. There are fewer commissioners in the European Commission than there are DGs.
A Directorate-General is comparable to a government ministry. Most Directorates-General are divided into directorates which cover a specific part of a policy area.

Contents

Structure

Structure

The Directorates-General are divided into four groups: Policy DGs, External relations DGs, General Service DGs and Internal Service DGs. Internally, the DGs are referred to by their abbreviations; provided in parenthesis below.

★ Policy DGs

★
★ Agriculture and Rural Development (Agri)

★
★ Competition (Comp)

★
★ Economic and Financial Affairs (Ecofin)

★
★ Education and Culture (EAC)

★
★ Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities (Empl)

★
★ Enterprise and Industry

★
★ Environment (Env)

★
★ Fisheries and Maritime Affairs (Fish)

★
★ Health and Consumer Protection (Sanco)

★
★ Information Society and Media (Infso)

★
★ Internal Market and Services (Markt)

★
★ Joint Research Centre (JRC)

★
★ Justice, Freedom and Security

★
★ Regional Policy (Regio)

★
★ Research (RTD)

★
★ Taxation and Customs Union (Tax)

★
★ Transport and Energy (Tren)

★ External Relations DGs

★
★ Development (Dev)

★
★ Enlargement

★
★ EuropeAid Co-Operation Office (Aidco)

★
★ External Relations (Relex)

★
★ Humanitarian Aid (Echo)

★
★ Trade

★ General Services DGs

★
★ Communication

★
★ European Anti-fraud Office (OLAF)

★
★ Eurostat

★
★ Publications Office

★
★ Secretariat General

★ Internal Services DGs

★
★ Budget

★
★ Bureau of European Policy Advisers (BEPA)

★
★ Informatics

★
★ Infrastructures and Logistics

★
★
★ Brussels (OIB)

★
★
★ Luxembourg (OIL)

★
★ Internal Audit Service (IAS)

★
★ Interpretation

★
★ Legal Service

★
★ Personnel and Administration

★
★ Translation (DGT)