The Commission represents and upholds the interests of the EU as a whole, and is independent of national governments. It is headed by 28 Commissioners, one per EU country. The European Commission prepares legislation for adoption by the Council (representing the member countries) and the Parliament (representing the citizens). It administers the budget and the policy programmes (Agriculture, Fisheries, Research etc.) in cooperation with authorities in the member countries. Visit http://www.europa.eu/ if you want to learn more about the EU, or call the free service number 00 800 6789 10 11 from anywhere in the EU, they speak all 24 official languages.