Directorate-General

Within the European Union (EU), Directorates-General are departments with specific zones of responsibility.

Within the European Commission specifically, Directorates-General are the equivalent of national-level ministries.

Nearly all of the top-level organisational divisions of the Secretariat of the European Parliament and the General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union are also termed Directorates-General.

The European Patent Office (part of the European Patent Organisation, separate from the EU) also has Directorates-General, which are administrative groupings of departments.

In addition to its Legal Service, the Secretariat of the European Parliament is composed of several Directorates-General, each of which has an official abbreviation.