The review comes as von der Leyen’s self-described “geopolitical Commission” confronts growing demands, from trade tensions with Washington and Beijing to supporting Ukraine against Russia. Its expanding role has also sharpened sensitivities in some capitals about the EU executive’s growing reach.
Monday’s proposals include shifting more officials from the Commission’s Brussels headquarters to EU capitals to strengthen ties with the bloc’s 27 member countries, accelerating the promotion of a new generation of leaders ahead of an expected wave of retirements, and preparing the institution to become “AI-ready,” according to a senior official involved in the review.
The official, granted anonymity to discuss the contents of the internal report, stressed that the proposals stopped short of abolishing any of the Commission’s 41 directorate-generals (DGs), the EU executive’s policy departments, or creating additional ones. It also won’t recommend cutting staff.
Instead, the focus was on making sure staff are not “siloed” in their departments and can collaborate more easily, the official said, along with reprioritizing work to make better use of existing resources.
‘More and more’
That effort may still require more people. According to a second official, the Commission plans to hire an additional 1,500 staff under the EU’s next seven-year budget, which starts in 2028, alongside another 1,000 roles across other EU institutions.
The first batch of recommendations — laid out in a 400-page report compiled by senior officials from 15 departments — was presented to all 30,000 Commission staff during a virtual meeting on Monday.