The official title President of the European Union (or President of Europe) does not exist, but there are a number of presidents of European Union institutions, including: * the

President of the European Council The president of the European Council is the person presiding over and driving forward the work of the European Council on the world stage. This institution comprises the college of heads of state or government of EU member states as well as t ...

(since 1 December 2019, Charles Michel) * the

President of the European Commission The president of the European Commission 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, collectively account ...

(since 1 December 2019, Ursula von der Leyen) * the President of the European Parliament (since 11 January 2022, Roberta Metsola) Alongside these the Council of the European Union (also known as the Council of Ministers or simply "the Council") containing 27 national ministers, one of each nation, rotates its presidency by country. This presidency is held by a country, not a person; meetings are chaired by the minister from the country holding the presidency (depending on the topic, or "configuration"), except for the Foreign Affairs Council (one so-called "configuration" of the Council of the EU), which is usually chaired by the

High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (HR/VP) is the chief co-ordinator and representative of the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) within the European Union (EU). The position is currently held ...

. The Presidency of the Council of the European Union has been held by the Czech Republic since 1 July 2022. According to protocol, it is the President of the Parliament who comes first, as it is listed first in the treaties. However, on the world stage, the principal representative of the EU is considered to be the President of the European Council,Treaty of Lisbon amending the Treaty on European Union and the Treaty establishing the European Community
Article 9 B but the President of the European Commission, as head of the

executive branch The Executive, also referred as the Executive branch or Executive power, is the term commonly used to describe that part of government which enforces the law, and has overall responsibility for the governance of a State (polity), state. In poli ...

of the European Union, takes part in the G7 and other international summits as well.

In media

All four offices have been described in the media as the President of Europe, but none are analogous to the head in a

presidential system A presidential system, or single executive system, is a form of government in which a head of government, typically with the title of president, leads an executive branch that is separate from the legislative branch in systems that use separati ...

such as the President of the United States (who is both head of state and head of government). Comparisons with other political system have attempted to explain the complex nature of the European institutions. As each institution has its own leader, it has been suggested that the terms "Speaker" of the European Parliament, "Governor" of the European Central Bank, "Chairman" of the Council of the European Union, "President" of the European Council and "Prime Commissioner" would give a clearer indication of their respective roles. During the height of the Commission President's powers in the late-1980s and 1990s, the Commission President was sometimes described in the media as "the Union's Prime Minister". Use of the term "President" in this sense is not unusual in Europe; for comparison, the title for the Prime Minister of Spain in Spanish is the ''Presidente del Gobierno'' ("President of the Government"), not Prime Minister.Official web site of La Moncloa, the Spanish Prime Minister's Office
Accessed 2009-03-05

Election

The Presidents of each institution are chosen in a slightly different way; * The President of the European Parliament is elected from among MEPs for a 2.5-year, renewable term. * The President of the European Council is elected by the heads of state/government of the 27 EU member states for a 2.5-year, once renewable term. * The President of the European Commission is officially proposed by the European Council, taking into account the latest European Parliament elections and subsequently elected by the European Parliament for a 5-year, renewable term. A stronger direct link between elections and the President was attempted in the form of the

spitzenkandidat The president of the European Commission 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, collectively account ...

process, although in 2019 the European Council rejected the Spitzenkandidat of the leading party, and instead nominated their own candidate from the same party.Winter is here for Spitzenkandidat, but he'll survive
EUObserver 20 July 2017

Roles

Whilst distinct, each president is required to closely co-operate with one another in a complex political system. Under the ordinary legislative procedure of the European Union, the Commission proposes legislation with the Parliament and Council of the European Union coming to a co-decision on amendments and adoption of the law. The president of each of these organs is generally held responsible their functioning and direction.

President of the European Council

The president of the

European Council The European Council (informally EUCO) is a collegiate body that defines the overall political direction and priorities of the European Union. It is composed of the heads of state or government of the EU member states, the President of the E ...

is considered the principal representative of the EU internationally and diplomatically. They are required to lead the council, which works to set the EU's general political direction and promote compromise and consensus within the council. They are appointed by the appropriate national leaders in the European Council. Prior to the Treaty of Lisbon, each member state in turn took the responsibilities of both the Presidency of the European Council and the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, with the representative to the European Council of the respective member state currently occupying the Presidency of the Council of the EU chairing meetings of the European Council. However, the title and office "President of the European Council" or any analogous position, did not exist prior to the Treaty of Lisbon. The misleading shorthand tag "EU Presidency" is still used by press today to refer to the member state holding the rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

President of the European Commission

The president of the European Commission leads the commission, the executive and cabinet of the European Union, and is therefore considered as the most powerful position within the EU. The president, as part of this institution, is responsible for the political direction, logistics and implementation of European law and held accountable to both the European Parliament and Council of the European Union. The role gives the holder the right to allocate portfolios to, dismiss and reshuffle

European Commissioners A European Commissioner is a member of the 27-member European Commission. Each member within the Commission holds a specific portfolio. The commission is led by the President of the European Commission. In simple terms they are the equivalent o ...

and direct the commission's civil service. The president is nominated by the European Council and appointed by the European Parliament. It is customary that the European Council uses the result of the last

European elections Elections to the European Parliament take place every five years by universal adult suffrage; with more than 400 million people eligible to vote, they are considered the second largest democratic elections in the world after India's. Until ...

to guide their nomination. The Commission President also delivers annual

State of the Union The State of the Union Address (sometimes abbreviated to SOTU) is an annual message delivered by the president of the United States to a joint session of the United States Congress near the beginning of each calendar year on the current conditio ...

address to the European Parliament.

President of the European Parliament

The president of the European Parliament ensures proper parliamentary procedure is followed and is responsible for representing the Parliament in both legal and diplomatic settings. The president must also give final assent to the EU budget.

Gallery

Notes

References

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External links

EU website – European Union Presidents
Political offices of the European Union