Election explained

Why is there a row over the UK’s new EU commissioner and could Boris Johnson be punished?

The European Union has opened legal proceedings against Britain over the issue, writes Jon Stone

Friday 15 November 2019 21:18 GMT
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Is the bloc’s executive branch trying to help the PM?
Is the bloc’s executive branch trying to help the PM?

It came a bit out of the blue: on Thursday the European Commission launched legal action against the UK over its failure to nominate a new EU commissioner. Here’s everything you need to know about it.

What’s a commissioner?

The European Commission is the EU’s executive branch, and it acts a bit like a cabinet government, coming up with new European legislation. It has 28 members (or “commissioners”), one appointed by each member state, though they are each bound to act in the interests of the union as a whole rather than their home country.

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