List of presidents of the institutions of the European Union

This is a list of presidents of the institutions of the European Union (EU). Each of the institutions is headed by a president or a presidency, with some being more prominent than others. Both the President of the European Council and the President of the European Commission are sometimes wrongly termed the President of the European Union. Most go back to 1957 but others, such as the Presidents of the Auditors or the European Central Bank have been created recently. Currently (2020), the President of the European Commission is Ursula von der Leyen and the President of the European Council is Charles Michel.

Current office holders

President of the European Parliament
Institution European Parliament The President of the European Parliament presides over the plenary of the Parliament, which is one-half of the legislative branch of the Union. The President also chairs the Bureau and Conference of Presidents as well as representing the Parliament. The President's role is similar to that of a speaker in a national parliament, but also represents the Parliament externally and vis a vis the other institutions, which is a more political role.
Current holder David Sassoli
Member State  Italy
Party Party of European Socialists
Since 3 July 2019
President of the European Council
Institution European Council The duty of the European Council president is primarily that of preparing and chairing the meetings of the European Council. The position became 30-month appointed position, elected by the members of the European Council, in 2009 by virtue of the Treaty of Lisbon. Before, it rotated around between the head of state or government of the country holding the Presidency of the Council of the European Union (see below). This longer term President of the European Council has been described directly by some as a new "President of the European Union". According to the Financial Times, "the president would have few formal powers, but would give the EU strategic leadership and represent the bloc on the world stage on issues such as climate change, bilateral relations and development."[1]
Current holder Charles Michel
Member State  Belgium
Party Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party
Since 1 December 2019
Presidency of the Council of the European Union
Institution Council of the EU The Presidency of the Council of the European Union (Council of Ministers) is rotated between member states every 6 months. The Council is composed of the relevant national ministers depending on the topic being discussed with minister from the state holding the presidency chairing. The country holding the Presidency is able to affect the overall policy direction for the six months. Since 2007, the Presidency has been co-ordinated every 18 months by three countries (a "triplet"), though one still takes a lead position every 6 months.
Current holder  Portugal
Chancellor António Costa
Party Party of European Socialists
Since 1 January 2021
President of the European Commission
Institution European Commission The President of the European Commission is head of the 28-member college of Commissioners. The Commission's responsibilities include drafting legislative proposals and managing the day-to-day running of the EU. It is also responsible for a degree of the EU's external representation, for example attending G8 meetings. The Commission President is proposed by the European Council, who take account of the previous European Elections, before being elected by the European Parliament for a five-year mandate. It has been described by some as the "President of the European Union" but a more common analogy is "Prime Minister of the European Union" given the style of position over a cabinet government.[2]
Current holder Ursula von der Leyen
Member State  Germany
Party European People's Party
Since 1 December 2019
President of the Court of Justice
Institution Court of Justice of the European Union (Court of Justice) The President of the Court of Justice is elected from and by the judges for a renewable term of three years. The President presides over hearings and deliberations, directing both judicial business and administration. The European Court of Justice is the highest court in the European Union in matters of European Union law. As a part of the Court of Justice of the European Union it is tasked with interpreting EU law and ensuring its equal application across all EU member states.[3] The Court is based in Luxembourg and is composed of one judge per member state – currently 28 – although it normally hears cases in panels of three, five or thirteen judges.
Current holder Koen Lenaerts
Member State  Belgium
Party None
Since 8 October 2015
President of the General Court
Institution Court of Justice of the European Union (General Court) The President of the General Court is elected from and by the judges for a renewable term of three years. The President presides over hearings and deliberations, directing both judicial business and administration.General Court is the second (unnoficially lower) court of the Court of Justice of the European Union. It is responsible for cases in the fields of environment and consumers, freedom to provide services, law on the EU institutions, trade marks and intellectual and industrial property, competition, state aid, agriculture, public health, EU external relations, economic policy and access to documents. The Court is based in Luxembourg and is composed of two judges from each EU Member state. Cases are heard by the chambers of 5 or 3 judges, presidents of which are elected for a term of three years.Unlike the Court of Justice, the General Court does not have Advocates General, but similar tasks can occasionally be performed by a judge of the General Court.
Current holder Marc van der Woude
Member State  Netherlands
Party None
Since 27 September 2019
President of the European Central Bank
Institution European Central Bank The President of the European Central Bank is the head of the European Central Bank (ECB), the institution responsible for the management of the euro and monetary policy in the Eurozone of the European Union. The President heads the executive board, governing council and general council of the ECB. He or she also represents the bank abroad, for example at the G20. The President is appointed by majority in the European Council, de facto by those who have adopted the euro, for an eight-year non-renewable term. The primary objective of the European Central Bank, as mandated in Article 2 of the Statute of the ECB,[4] is to maintain price stability within the Eurozone.
Current holder Christine Lagarde
Member State  France
Party European People's Party
Since 1 November 2019
President of the European Court of Auditors
Institution European Court of Auditors The duties of the President of the European Court of Auditors (which may be delegated) are to convene and chair the meetings of the Court, ensuring that decisions are implemented and the departments (and other activities) are soundly managed. Despite its name, the Court has no judicial functions. It is rather a professional external investigatory audit agency. The primary role of the court is to externally check if the budget of the European Union has been implemented correctly, in that EU funds have been spent legally and with sound management.
Current holder Klaus-Heiner Lehne
Member State  Germany
Party None
Since 1 October 2016

Historic office holders

Conservative/Christian democrat Socialist Liberal/Centrist Communist Independent
Year President of the
European Commission
President of the
European Council
President of the
European Parliament
Presidency of the
Council of the European Union
President of the
European Court of Justice
1958 1: Walter Hallstein (I)   1: Robert Schuman  Belgium 1: André Donner
 Belgium
 West Germany
1959  France
 Italy
1960 2: Hans Furler  Luxembourg
 Netherlands
1961  Belgium
 West Germany
1962 1: Walter Hallstein (II) 3: Gaetano Martino  France
 Italy
1963  Luxembourg
 Netherlands
1964 4: Jean Duvieusart  Belgium 2: Charles Léon Hammes
 West Germany
1965 5: Victor Leemans  France
 Italy
1966 6: Alain Poher  Luxembourg
 Netherlands
1967  Belgium 3: Robert Lecourt
2: Jean Rey  West Germany
1968  France
 Italy
1969 7: Mario Scelba  Luxembourg
 Netherlands
1970  Belgium
3: Franco Maria Malfatti  West Germany
1971 8: Walter Behrendt  France
 Italy
1972 4: Sicco Mansholt  Luxembourg
 Netherlands
1973 5: François-Xavier Ortoli 9: Cornelis Berkhouwer  Belgium
 Belgium
 Denmark
 Denmark
1974  West Germany
 France
1975 Liam Cosgrave 10: Georges Spénale  Ireland
Aldo Moro  Italy
1976 Gaston Thorn  Luxembourg 4: Hans Kutscher
Joop den Uyl  Netherlands
1977 6: Roy Jenkins James Callaghan 11: Emilio Colombo  United Kingdom
Leo Tindemans  Belgium
1978 Anker Jørgensen  Denmark
Helmut Schmidt  West Germany
1979 Valéry Giscard d'Estaing  France
Jack Lynch 1: Simone Veil  Ireland
Charles Haughey  Ireland
1980 Francesco Cossiga  Italy 5: Josse Mertens de Wilmars
Pierre Werner  Luxembourg
1981 7: Gaston Thorn Dries van Agt  Netherlands
Margaret Thatcher  United Kingdom
1982 Wilfried Martens 2: Piet Dankert  Belgium
Anker Jørgensen  Denmark
Poul Schlüter  Denmark
1983 Helmut Kohl  West Germany
Andreas Papandreou  Greece
1984 François Mitterrand 3: Pierre Pflimlin  France 6: Alexander Mackenzie Stuart
Garret FitzGerald  Ireland
1985 Bettino Craxi  Italy
Jacques Santer  Luxembourg
1986 8: Jacques Delors (I) Ruud Lubbers  Netherlands
Margaret Thatcher  United Kingdom
1987 Wilfried Martens 4: Henry Plumb  Belgium
Poul Schlüter  Denmark
1988 Helmut Kohl  West Germany 7: Ole Due
Andreas Papandreou  Greece
1989 8: Jacques Delors (II) Felipe González  Spain
François Mitterrand 5: Enrique Barón Crespo  France
1990 Charles Haughey  Ireland
Giulio Andreotti  Italy
1991 Jacques Santer  Luxembourg
Ruud Lubbers  Netherlands
1992 Aníbal Cavaco Silva 6: Egon Klepsch  Portugal
John Major  United Kingdom
1993 8: Jacques Delors (III) Poul Schlüter  Denmark
Poul Nyrup Rasmussen  Denmark
Jean-Luc Dehaene  Belgium
1994 Andreas Papandreou  Greece 8: Gil Carlos Rodríguez Iglesias
Helmut Kohl 7: Klaus Hänsch  Germany
1995 9: Jacques Santer François Mitterrand  France
Jacques Chirac  France
Felipe González  Spain
1996 Lamberto Dini  Italy
Romano Prodi  Italy
John Bruton  Ireland
1997 Wim Kok 8: José María Gil-Robles  Netherlands
Jean-Claude Juncker  Luxembourg
1998 Tony Blair  United Kingdom
Viktor Klima  Austria
1999 Gerhard Schröder  Germany
Manuel Marín (acting)
10: Romano Prodi Paavo Lipponen 9: Nicole Fontaine  Finland
2000 António Guterres  Portugal
Jacques Chirac  France
2001 Göran Persson  Sweden
Guy Verhofstadt  Belgium
2002 José María Aznar López 10: Pat Cox  Spain
Anders Fogh Rasmussen  Denmark
2003 Costas Simitis  Greece 9: Vassilios Skouris
Silvio Berlusconi  Italy
2004 Bertie Ahern  Ireland
11: José Manuel Barroso (I) Jan Peter Balkenende 11: Josep Borrell  Netherlands
2005 Jean-Claude Juncker  Luxembourg
Tony Blair  United Kingdom
2006 Wolfgang Schüssel  Austria
Matti Vanhanen  Finland
2007 Angela Merkel 12: Hans-Gert Pöttering T1  Germany
José Sócrates  Portugal
2008 Janez Janša  Slovenia
Nicolas Sarkozy T2  France
2009 Mirek Topolánek  Czech Republic
Jan Fischer  Czech Republic
Fredrik Reinfeldt 13: Jerzy Buzek  Sweden
2010 11: José Manuel Barroso (II) 1. Herman Van Rompuy T3  Spain
 Belgium
2011  Hungary
T4  Poland
2012 14: Martin Schulz  Denmark
 Cyprus
2013 T5  Ireland
 Lithuania
2014  Greece
T6  Italy
2015 12: Jean-Claude Juncker 2. Donald Tusk  Latvia
 Luxembourg
2016 T7  Netherlands 10: Koen Lenaerts
Term expires 6 Oct 2021
15: Antonio Tajani  Slovakia
2017  Malta
T8  Estonia
2018  Bulgaria
 Austria
2019 T9  Romania
16: David Sassoli
Term expires 3 Jan 2022
 Finland
2020 13: Ursula von der Leyen
Term expires 31 Oct 2024
3. Charles Michel
Term expires 31 May 2022
 Croatia
T10  Germany

See also

References

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