| President of the European Commission | |
|---|---|
 Logo of the Commission | |
 | |
| European Commission | |
| Style | President[a] |
| Status | Head of government |
| Member of | College of Commissioners European Council |
| Reports to | European Parliament European Council |
| Seat | Berlaymont, 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[2] |
| Website | ec.europa.eu |
The president of the European Commission, also known as president of the College of Commissioners or prime commissioner, is the head of the European Commission, the executive branch of the European Union (EU). The president of the commission leads a cabinet of commissioners, referred to as the college. The president is empowered to allocate portfolios among, reshuffle, or dismiss commissioners as necessary. The college directs the commission's civil service, sets the policy agenda and determines the legislative proposals it produces. The commission is the only body that can propose,[b] or draft, bills to become EU laws.
The commission president 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 elected by the European Parliament,[c] for a five-year term.[5][6][7][8] The president of the commission also delivers an annual State of the Union address to the European Parliament.
In July 2019, the European Council nominated Ursula von der Leyen to succeed Jean-Claude Juncker, and she was elected the 13th president of the European Commission by the European Parliament on 16 July.[9][10] Von der Leyen assumed office on 1 December 2019, following the approval of her nominated College of Commissioners by the European Parliament.[11]
- ^ English Style Guide: A handbook for authors and translators in the European Commission (PDF) (8 ed.). European Commission. October 2019. p. 119. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
- ^ "European commissioners: what they earn" (PDF). European Voice. February 2015. p. 56. Retrieved 19 June 2015.
- ^ Jones, Clifford A. (9 November 2023). "European Commission". Encyclopedia Britannica.
The procedure is that the governments of the member states jointly select a commission president, who is then approved by Parliament.
- ^ "European Commission". citizensinformation.ie. Government of Ireland. 21 June 2022.
The Parliament must also approve the President of the European Commission
- ^ "CONSOLIDATED VERSION OF THE TREATY ON EUROPEAN UNION".
Article 17 (7). Taking into account the elections to the European Parliament and after having held the appropriate consultations, the European Council, acting by a qualified majority, shall propose to the European Parliament a candidate for President of the Commission. This candidate shall be elected by the European Parliament by a majority of its component members. If he does not obtain the required majority, the European Council, acting by a qualified majority, shall within one month propose a new candidate who shall be elected by the European Parliament following the same procedure.
- ^ Kotanidis, Silvia. "Role and election of the President of the European Commission" (PDF). European Parliamentary Research Service. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
The Treaty of Lisbon strengthened the role of Parliament further. Whilst previously, the nomination of a presidential candidate was merely 'approved' by Parliament (Article 214(2) TEC), Parliament now elects the candidate (Article 17(7) TEU), which places particular emphasis on the political linkage between Parliament and Commission.
- ^ "Election of the European Commission President". www.consilium.europa.eu. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
"European Council proposes a candidate [...], European Parliament elects [...], a new Commission President is elected.
- ^ Klemperer, David (23 May 2019). "EU institutions: how are the top jobs allocated?". www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk. Institute for Government. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
According to the 2009 Lisbon Treaty, the Council, acting by qualified majority vote, proposes a candidate for European Commission President to the European Parliament. The candidate is either elected by the European Parliament, or, if they fail to obtain an absolute majority, rejected, in which case the process is repeated until a candidate is elected by the Parliament.
- ^ Barigazzi, Jacopo; Herszenhorn, David M.; Bayer, Lili (2 July 2019). "EU leaders pick Germany's von der Leyen to lead Commission". POLITICO europe. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
- ^ "MEPs elect first female EU Commission president". BBC News. 16 July 2019. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
- ^ Herszenhorn, David M.; de la Baume, Maïa (27 November 2019). "Von der Leyen's in – now the hard work begins". Politico. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).