The Commission, as a collegiate body, delegates certain decision- making powers to its individual commissioners (empowerment procedure) or to directors-general (delegation procedure). A delega- tion of powers allows management, administrative, procedural and routine matters to be decided by the individual commissioner or director-general concerned. This mechanism ensures that Commission meetings are not overloaded and the decision-making process is not paralysed.
Source: Glossary of terms used in EU competition policy, Antitrust and control of concentrations, European Commission, 2002