President of the European Commission

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.


List of presidents
Commission of the European Economic Community (1958–1967)
PortraitName(birth–death)Term of officeTenureCommissionPartyGroupCountry85pxWalter Hallstein(1901–1982)1 January 19585 July 1967HallesteinCDUCD

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

PortraitName(birth–death)Term of officeTenureCommissionPartyGroupCountryElectoral mandate85pxJean Rey(1902–1983) 5 July 1967  1 July 1970ReyPRLLIB–85pxFranco Maria Malfatti(1927–1991) 1 July 1970  1 March 1972MalfattiDCCD–85pxSicco Mansholt(1908–1995) 1 March 1972  5 January 1973MansholtPvdASOC–85pxFrançois-Xavier Ortoli(1925–2007) 5 January 1973  5 January 1977OrtoliUDREPD–85pxRoy Jenkins(1920–2003) 5 January 1977  19 January 1981JenkinsLabSOC197985pxGaston Thorn(1928–2007) 19 January 1981  6 January 1985ThornDPLD85pxJacques Delors(1925–2023) 6 January 1985  24 January 1995DelorsPSSOC1984198985pxJacques Santer(born 1937) 24 January 1995  15 March 1999SanterCSVEPP 199485pxManuel Marín (interim)(1949–2017) 15 March 1999  17 September 1999SanterPSOESOC85pxRomano Prodi(born 1939) 17 September 1999  22 November 2004ProdiDemELDR 199985pxJosé Manuel Barroso(born 1956) 22 November 2004  1 November 2014BarrosoPSDEPP 2004200985pxJean-Claude Juncker(born 1954) 1 November 2014  30 November 2019JunckerCSVEPP 201485pxUrsula von der Leyen(born 1958)1 December 2019  Incumbent von der LeyenCDUEPP 2019

Notes

References

Other websites
Commission President (official website)
Terms of office 
Organisation of the European Commission CVCE (Previously : European NAvigator)
Presidential candidates debate 2014