The European Union is going through turbulent times. The aftermath of the eurozone crisis, the challenges posed by increasing migration and the Brexit negotiations are just some of the recent challenges that have threatened the future of the Union. It is against this background that this volume brings together contributions by a variety of scholars from different academic disciplines. Focusing on the role of the Commission within the institutional system of the EU, its internal structures and processes as well as its policymaking and implementation activities, this book addresses some of the most pressing empirical and theoretical questions that have surrounded the Commission in recent years. While the last decade has intensified the challenges faced by this institution, this books main contention is that the Commissions central position has partly endured as a result of deliberate decisions made by the EUs member states, and partly through the Commissions own activism. With contributions by Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Wessels, Marieke Eckhardt, Prof. Dr. Andreas Maurer, Michael C. Wolf, Dr. Christian Adam, Prof. Dr. Miriam Hartlapp, Dipl.-Jur. Robert Böttner, Prof. Dr. Ingeborg Tömmel, Prof. Dr. Sandra Eckert, Prof. Dr. Michèle Knodt, Prof. Dr. Marc Ringel, Prof. Dr. Hussein Kassim, Prof. Dr. Sara Connolly, Prof. Dr. Michael W. Bauer, Dr. Jörn Ege, Stefan Becker, M.A.