A Directorate-General, or DG, is a major policy department of the European Commission or, by analogy, the equivalent senior services of other EU institutions. Each DG owns a defined policy area (competition, climate, agriculture, trade, justice, digital, and so on) and is headed by a Director-General who reports to the Commissioner responsible for that portfolio.
There are around 33 DGs and equivalent services at the European Commission as of 2026, plus a smaller number of executive agencies that implement specific programmes on behalf of the DGs. Each DG is divided into Directorates (headed by a Director, usually AD 14 to AD 15), which are themselves split into Units (headed by a Head of Unit at AD 9 to AD 14). A Unit is the working team a recruit normally joins: typically 15 to 40 staff including AD officials, AST assistants, contract agents, seconded national experts and trainees. DG acronyms appear in every vacancy notice and reserve list: DG COMP for competition, DG CLIMA for climate action, DG ECFIN for economic and financial affairs, DG TRADE for trade, DG HR for human resources, and so on. Knowing which DG owns which policy area helps a lot when you read vacancy notices, choose CAST or EPSO profile families, and write a motivation letter aimed at the right reader.
Frequently asked questions
- How many DGs are there at the European Commission?
- There are around 33 Directorates-General and equivalent services as of 2026, alongside a handful of executive agencies (CINEA, EACEA, ERCEA, HADEA, REA) that implement EU funding programmes. The exact list is reorganised at the start of each Commission mandate.
- Do other EU institutions have DGs?
- The Council, the Parliament, the EEAS and the Court of Justice all use a similar Directorate-General structure for their senior services, though acronyms differ. The Council's policy DGs (such as DG GIP or DG RELEX) and the Parliament's DGs (such as DG IPOL or DG EXPO) mirror Commission policy areas.