# President of the European Commission

| President of the European Commission |
| --- |
| Emblem of the commission |
| Flag of Europe |
| **Incumbent Ursula von der Leyen** since 1 December 2019 |
| European Commission |
| Style | President |
| Status | Head of an Institution |
| Member of | * European Commission
* European Council (non-voting)
 |
| Reports to | * European Parliament
* European Council
 |
| Residence | Berlaymont building |
| Seat | Brussels, Belgium |
| Nominator | European Council |
| Appointer | European Parliament |
| Term length | Five years, renewable |
| Constituting instrument | Treaties of the European Union |
| Formation | 1 January 1958 |
| First holder | Walter Hallstein |
| Deputy | First Vice-President of the European Commission |
| Salary | €306,655 annually |
| Website | ec.europa.eu |

The **President of the European Commission** is the head of the European Commission. It is the executive branch of the European Union. The President of the Commission leads a cabinet of Commissioners. The President is chosen by the Council and Parliament, and decides (with each country) who the other members are and what they do.

## Background

The President of the Commission also represents the EU abroad, together with the President of the European Council and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

The post was established in 1958. Each new President is nominated by the European Council and formally elected by the European Parliament, for a five-year term.

The current President is Ursula von der Leyen, who took office on 1st December 2019. She is a member of the European People's Party (EPP) and is the former minister of defence of Germany.

Headquarters of the European Commission in Brussels (Berlaymont building)
## List of presidents

### Commission of the European Economic Community (1958–1967)

| Portrait | Name (birth–death) | Term of office | Tenure | Commission | Party | Group | Country |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|  |  | **Walter Hallstein** (1901–1982) | 1 January 1958 | 5 July 1967 | 9 years, 185 days | Hallestein | CDU | CD |  West Germany |

### Commission of the European Communities (1967–2009) and European Commission (2009–present)

Parties
  European People's Party
  ALDE Party/ELDR Party
  Party of European Socialists
  European Progressive Democrats

| Portrait | Name (birth–death) | Term of office | Tenure | Commission | Party | Group | Country | Electoral mandate |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|  |  | **Jean Rey** (1902–1983) | 5 July 1967 | 1 July 1970 | 2 years, 361 days | Rey | PRL | LIB |  Belgium | – |
|  |  | **Franco Maria Malfatti** (1927–1991) | 1 July 1970 | 1 March 1972 | 1 year, 244 days | Malfatti | DC | CD |  Italy | – |
|  |  | **Sicco Mansholt** (1908–1995) | 1 March 1972 | 5 January 1973 | 310 days | Mansholt | PvdA | SOC |  Netherlands | – |
|  |  | **François-Xavier Ortoli** (1925–2007) | 5 January 1973 | 5 January 1977 | 4 years | Ortoli | UDR | EPD |  France | – |
|  |  | **Roy Jenkins** (1920–2003) | 5 January 1977 | 19 January 1981 | 4 years, 14 days | Jenkins | Lab | SOC |  United Kingdom | 1979 |
|  |  | **Gaston Thorn** (1928–2007) | 19 January 1981 | 6 January 1985 | 3 years, 353 days | Thorn | DP | LD |  Luxembourg |
|  |  | **Jacques Delors** (1925–2023) | 6 January 1985 | 24 January 1995 | 10 years, 18 days | Delors | PS | SOC |  France | 1984 1989 |
|  |  | **Jacques Santer** (born 1937) | 24 January 1995 | 15 March 1999 | 4 years, 50 days | Santer | CSV | EPP |  Luxembourg | 1994 |
|  |  | **Manuel Marín(interim)* (1949–2017) | 15 March 1999 | 17 September 1999 | 186 days | Santer | PSOE | SOC |  Spain |
|  |  | **Romano Prodi** (born 1939) | 17 September 1999 | 22 November 2004 | 5 years, 66 days | Prodi | Dem | ELDR |  Italy | 1999 |
|  |  | **José Manuel Barroso** (born 1956) | 22 November 2004 | 1 November 2014 | 9 years, 344 days | Barroso | PSD | EPP |  Portugal | 2004 2009 |
|  |  | **Jean-Claude Juncker** (born 1954) | 1 November 2014 | 30 November 2019 | 5 years, 29 days | Juncker | CSV | EPP |  Luxembourg | 2014 |
|  |  | **Ursula von der Leyen** (born 1958) | 1 December 2019 | Incumbent | 6 years, 196 days | von der Leyen | CDU | EPP |  Germany | 2019 |

## Other websites

* Commission President (official website)
* Terms of office Archived 2013-01-06 at Archive.today
* Organisation of the European Commission CVCE (Previously : European NAvigator)
* Presidential candidates debate 2014