The new policies are being pioneered largely outside the original institutional framework, the source of the commission's political power. The commission, in fact, is looking weaker politically than it has for a long time. The current Prodi commission is a great improvement on its predecessor, which was forced to resign last year after allegations of nepotism and mismanagement caused an outcry in the European Parliament. But the commission is still the target for anyone with a gripe about European integration and, in many quarters, a symbol of ''faceless'' bureaucracy. Although some of the ''faceless'' Eurocrats are freeloading at taxpayers' expense, most are dedicated, highly talented and professional.
Important reforms are under way in such areas as financial controls and personnel management.
The commission is still a unique institution, with broad executive, administrative, regulatory and representative functions. It remains the official initiator of EU legislation, the guardian of the flame of European idealism and the EU's collective memory. Despite its declining political influence, its responsibilities continue to grow. The commission will play a key part in implementing the extravagant pledge by European leaders at their recent Lisbon summit meeting to make the EU the world's most economically competitive region by 2010. But, Mr. Hall said, it will have to do so by employing ''softer'' methods, such as peer pressure and mutual surveillance.