# List of members of the European Council

The European Council (informally EUCO) is a collegiate body that defines the overall political direction and priorities of the European Union.
Established as an informal summit in 1975, the European Council was formalised as an institution in 2009 upon the commencement of the Treaty of Lisbon. Its current president is António Costa, a former Prime Minister of Portugal.

## Membership

The European Council is composed of the heads of state or government of the EU member states, the President of the European Council, and the President of the European Commission.
The representative of each member state depends on its political system. A member of the European Council is usually the highest representative of the executive branch of government. Cyprus, France, Lithuania, and Romania have presidential or semi-presidential systems and are represented by their head of state (president). The other member states have parliamentary systems and are represented by their head of government (prime minister).

## Current members

| State | Member | Affiliation | Member since | Time as member | Elections | Next election | Share of population | Notes |
| European Union | President of the European Council António Costa | S&D – PS | 1 December 2024 | 8 years, 228 days | 2024 | 2027 | — | Non-voting member |
| European Union | President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen | EPP – CDU | 1 December 2019 | 5 years, 100 days | 2024 2019 | 2029 | — | Non-voting member |
| Republic of Austria | Chancellor Christian Stocker | EPP – ÖVP | 3 March 2025 | 8 days | 2024 | 2029 | 1.99% | Head of government |
| Kingdom of Belgium | Prime Minister Bart De Wever | ECR – N-VA | 3 February 2025 | 36 days | 2024 | 2029 | 2.58% | Head of government |
| Republic of Bulgaria | Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov | EPP – GERB | 16 January 2025 | 54 days | 2024 | 2028 | 1.55% | Head of government |
| Republic of Croatia | Prime Minister Andrej Plenković | EPP – HDZ | 19 October 2016 | 8 years, 143 days | 2024 2020 2016 | 2028 | 0.90% | Head of government |
| Republic of Cyprus | President Nikos Christodoulides | Independent | 28 February 2023 | 2 years, 11 days | 2023 | 2028 | 0.20% | Head of state and head of government |
| Czech Republic | Prime Minister Petr Fiala | ECR – ODS | 17 December 2021 | 3 years, 84 days | 2021 | 2025 | 2.36% | Head of government |
| Denmark | Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen | S&D – S | 27 June 2019 | 5 years, 257 days | 2022 2019 | 2026 | 1.30% | Head of government |
| Republic of Estonia | Prime Minister Kristen Michal | Renew – ER | 23 July 2024 | 231 days | 2023 | 2027 | 0.30% | Head of government |
| Republic of Finland | Prime Minister Petteri Orpo | EPP – Kok. | 20 June 2023 | 1 year, 264 days | 2023 | 2027 | 1.24% | Head of government |
| French Republic | President Emmanuel Macron | Renew – RE | 14 May 2017 | 7 years, 301 days | 2022 2017 | 2027 | 15.07% | Head of state |
| Federal Republic of Germany | Chancellor Olaf Scholz | S&D – SPD | 8 December 2021 | 3 years, 93 days | 2021 | 2025 | 18.57% | Head of government |
| Hellenic Republic | Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis | EPP – ND | 26 June 2023 | 5 years, 213 days | 2023 (Jun) 2023 (May) 2019 | 2027 | 2.39% | Head of government |
| Hungary | Prime Minister Viktor Orbán | PfE – Fidesz | 29 May 2010 | 14 years, 286 days | 2022 2018 2014 2010 | 2026 | 2.17% | Head of government |
| Ireland | Taoiseach Micheál Martin | Renew – FF | 23 January 2025 | 2 years, 219 days | 2024 | 2029 | 1.12% | Head of government |
| Italian Republic | Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni | ECR – FdI | 22 October 2022 | 2 years, 140 days | 2022 | 2027 | 13.38% | Head of government |
| Republic of Latvia | Prime Minister Evika Siliņa | EPP – V | 15 September 2023 | 1 year, 177 days | 2022 | 2026 | 0.42% | Head of government |
| Republic of Lithuania | President Gitanas Nausėda | Independent | 12 July 2019 | 5 years, 242 days | 2024 2019 | 2029 | 0.62% | Head of state |
| Grand Duchy of Luxembourg | Prime Minister Luc Frieden | EPP – CSV | 17 November 2023 | 1 year, 114 days | 2023 | 2028 | 0.14% | Head of government |
| Republic of Malta | Prime Minister Robert Abela | S&D – PL | 13 January 2020 | 5 years, 57 days | 2022 | 2027 | 0.12% | Head of government |
| Netherlands | Prime Minister Dick Schoof | Independent | 2 July 2024 | 252 days | 2023 | 2027 | 3.94% | Head of government |
| Republic of Poland | Prime Minister Donald Tusk | EPP – PO | 13 December 2023 | 13 years, 32 days | 2023 | 2027 | 8.45% | Between January and June 2025, Donald Tusk is the head of government of the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union. |
| Portuguese Republic | Prime Minister Luís Montenegro | EPP – PSD | 2 April 2024 | 343 days | 2024 | 2028 | 2.30% | Head of government |
| Romania | President Ilie Bolojan | EPP – PNL | 12 February 2025 | 27 days | — | 2025 | 4.29% | Head of state |
| Slovak Republic | Prime Minister Robert Fico | Una. – Smer–SD | 25 October 2023 | 11 years, 128 days | 2023 | 2027 | 1.22% | Head of government |
| Republic of Slovenia | Prime Minister Robert Golob | Renew – GS | 1 June 2022 | 2 years, 283 days | 2022 | 2026 | 0.47% | Head of government |
| Kingdom of Spain | Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez | S&D – PSOE | 2 June 2018 | 6 years, 282 days | 2023 2019 (Nov) 2019 (Apr) 2016 | 2027 | 10.59% | Head of government |
| Kingdom of Sweden | Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson | EPP – M | 18 October 2022 | 2 years, 144 days | 2022 | 2026 | 2.32% | Head of government |

## Longest-serving members of the European Council

Leaders who have been members of the European Council for more than 10 years :
| # | Member | Position | State | Membership | Membership | Last affiliation |
| 1 | Jean-Claude Juncker | Prime Minister | Luxembourg | 20 January 1995 – 4 December 2013 | 18 years, 318 days | EPP |
| 1 | Jean-Claude Juncker | Commission President | European Union | 1 November 2014 – 30 November 2019 | 5 years, 29 days | EPP |
| 1 | Jean-Claude Juncker | | | | 23 years, 347 days | EPP |
| 2 | Helmut Kohl | Chancellor | Germany | 1 October 1982 – 27 October 1998 | 16 years, 26 days | EPP |
| 3 | Angela Merkel | Chancellor | Germany | 22 November 2005 – 8 December 2021 | 16 years, 16 days | EPP |
| 4 | Viktor Orbán | Prime Minister | Hungary | 29 May 2010 – present | 14 years, 286 days | PfE |
| 5 | Jacques Santer | Prime Minister | Luxembourg | 20 July 1984 – 26 January 1995 | 10 years, 190 days | EPP |
| 5 | Jacques Santer | Commission President | European Union | 25 January 1995 – 15 March 1999 | 4 years, 49 days | EPP |
| 5 | Jacques Santer | | | | 14 years, 238 days | EPP |
| 6 | François Mitterrand | President | France | 21 May 1981 – 17 May 1995 | 13 years, 361 days | S&D |
| 7 | Mark Rutte | Prime Minister | Netherlands | 14 October 2010 – 2 July 2024 | 13 years, 262 days | Renew |
| 8 | Donald Tusk | Prime Minister | Poland | 16 November 2007 – 22 September 2014 | 6 years, 310 days | EPP |
| 8 | Donald Tusk | Council President | European Union | 1 December 2014 – 30 November 2019 | 4 years, 364 days | EPP |
| 8 | Donald Tusk | Prime Minister | Poland | 13 December 2023 – present | 1 year, 88 days | EPP |
| 8 | Donald Tusk | | | | 13 years, 32 days | EPP |
| 9 | Wilfried Martens | Prime Minister | Belgium | 3 March 1979 – 6 April 1981 | 2 years, 34 days | EPP |
| 9 | Wilfried Martens | Prime Minister | Belgium | 17 December 1981 – 7 March 1992 | 10 years, 81 days | EPP |
| 9 | Wilfried Martens | | | | 12 years, 115 days | EPP |
| 10 | José Manuel Barroso | Prime Minister | Portugal | 6 April 2002 – 17 July 2004 | 2 years, 102 days | EPP |
| 10 | José Manuel Barroso | Commission President | European Union | 22 November 2004 – 31 October 2014 | 9 years, 343 days | EPP |
| 10 | José Manuel Barroso | | | | 12 years, 80 days | EPP |
| 11 | Jacques Chirac | President | France | 17 May 1995 – 16 May 2007 | 11 years, 364 days | EPP |
| 12 | Ruud Lubbers | Prime Minister | Netherlands | 4 November 1982 – 22 August 1994 | 11 years, 291 days | EPP |
| 13 | Margaret Thatcher | Prime Minister | United Kingdom | 4 May 1979 – 28 November 1990 | 11 years, 208 days | ECR |
| 14 | Robert Fico | Prime Minister | Slovakia | 4 July 2006 – 8 July 2010 | 4 years, 4 days | Una. |
| 14 | Robert Fico | Prime Minister | Slovakia | 4 April 2012 – 22 March 2018 | 5 years, 352 days | Una. |
| 14 | Robert Fico | Prime Minister | Slovakia | 25 October 2023 – present | 1 year, 137 days | Una. |
| 14 | Robert Fico | | | | 11 years, 128 days | Una. |
| 15 | Bertie Ahern | Taoiseach | Ireland | 26 June 1997 – 7 May 2008 | 10 years, 316 days | ECR |
| 16 | Göran Persson | Prime Minister | Sweden | 22 March 1996 – 6 October 2006 | 10 years, 198 days | S&D |
| 17 | Poul Schlüter | Prime Minister | Denmark | 10 September 1982 – 25 January 1993 | 10 years, 137 days | EPP |
| 18 | Felipe González | Prime Minister | Spain | 1 January 1986 – 5 May 1996 | 10 years, 125 days | S&D |
| 19 | Tony Blair | Prime Minister | United Kingdom | 2 May 1997 – 27 June 2007 | 10 years, 56 days | S&D |
| 20 | Klaus Iohannis | President | Romania | 21 December 2014 – 12 February 2025 | 10 years, 53 days | EPP |
| 21 | Jacques Delors | Commission President | European Union | 7 January 1985 – 24 January 1995 | 10 years, 17 days | S&D |
| 22 | Charles Michel | Prime Minister | Belgium | 11 October 2014 – 27 October 2019 | 5 years, 16 days | Renew |
| 22 | Charles Michel | Council President | European Union | 1 December 2019 – 30 November 2024 | 4 years, 365 days | Renew |
| 22 | Charles Michel | | | | 10 years, 15 days | Renew |