European Commission

The European Commission, established in 1952, is the executive body of the EU. It is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the treaties and managing the day-to-day running of the EU. 

The day-to-day running of the Commission is done by its administrative officials, experts, translators, interpreters and secretarial staff. According to February 2014 data, 33,039 civil servants are employed by the Commission. This includes external staff, such as special advisors  and trainees. This may sound like a lot, but it pales in comparison to the numbers employed by the HSE in Ireland, which has 67,000 direct employees as well as 35,000 additional staff.