President of the European Commission
| 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 |
| 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) and therefore the most powerful officeholder in the EU, (loosely) analogous to the role of a country's Prime-Minister / Head of Government (as opposed to the separate role of President of the European Council, who could be seen as the European Union's Head of State) – although, unlike a national head of government, the President of the Commission does not have any authority other than as defined by the Treaties, does not determine foreign policy, command troops or raise taxes. The President of the Commission is responsible for allocating portfolios to members of the Commission and can reshuffle or dismiss them if needed. They determine the Commission's policy agenda and all the legislative proposals it produces (the Commission is the only body that can propose EU 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 and is elected by the European Parliament, on a proposal of the European Council for five-year terms. Once appointed, he or she, along with the Commission, is responsible to Parliament which can censure the President. 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.
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