Article 135 [Initiatives of the Council and the Member States]

The TEU/TFEU provide the Commission with an almost exclusive right of initiative (Article 17.2 TEU), which empowers and requires it to make proposals on the matters contained in the Treaty because either the Treaty explicitly provides for it or the Commission considers it necessary. This right is given in order to guarantee its role as guardian of the Treaties and as a defender of the general interest of the Union (➔ Article 17 TEU para 2 et seq.).