Commission President
| President of the European Commission |
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|---|---|
Commission emblem
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| Member of |
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| Reports to | |
| Seat | Berlaymont, Brussels, Belgium |
| Nominator |
European Council on the basis of the latest European elections |
| Appointer | European Parliament |
| Term length | Five years, renewable |
| Constituting instrument | Treaties of the European Union |
| Inaugural holder | Walter Hallstein |
| Formation | 1 January 1958 |
| Deputy | Vice-President of the European Commission |
| Salary | €306,655 p.a. |
| Website | ec.europa.eu/president |
The President of the European Commission is the head of the European Commission, the executive branch of the European Union. The President of the Commission leads a cabinet of Commissioners, referred to as the college, collectively accountable to the European Parliament, which is directly elected by EU citizens. The President is empowered to allocate portfolios amongst, 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 proposeEU laws).
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. As of 2017[update], the current President is Jean-Claude Juncker, who took office on 1 November 2014. He is a member of the European People's Party (EPP) and is the former Prime Minister of Luxembourg. Juncker is the twelfth President and his First Vice-President is Frans Timmermans.
In 1957 the present Commission was established by the Treaty of Rome, and it also replaced the High Authority and the Commission of Euratom in 1967. The Commission's first president was Walter Hallstein (see Hallstein Commission) who started consolidating European law and began to impact on national legislation. National governments took little heed of his administration at first with the President having to stamp the Commission's authority early on. With the aid of the European Court of Justice the Commission began to be taken more seriously.
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