A Vice-President of the European Commission is a member of the

European Commission The European Commission (EC) is the executive of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "Commissioners") headed by a President. It includes an administrative body o ...

who leads the commission's work in particular focus areas in which multiple

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 ...

participate. Currently, the European Commission has a total of eight vice-presidents.

Role and benefits

The role of vice-president of the European Commission may be bestowed on any

European Commissioner 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 ...

in addition to their existing portfolio. Since the 2009

Lisbon Treaty The Treaty of Lisbon (initially known as the Reform Treaty) is an international agreement that amends the two treaties which form the constitutional basis of the European Union (EU). The Treaty of Lisbon, which was signed by the EU member sta ...

entered into force, 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 ...

is ''

ex officio An ''ex officio'' member is a member of a body (notably a board, committee, council) who is part of it by virtue of holding another office. The term '' ex officio'' is Latin, meaning literally 'from the office', and the sense intended is 'by right ...

'' one of the vice-presidents. The other vice-presidents are appointed at the discretion of the

Commission President 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 ...

. Commission salaries are set as a percentage of the top

civil service The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...

grade. Vice-Presidents are paid at 125% (€22,122.10 monthly), in comparison to 112.5% (€19,909.89) for normal Commissioners and 138% (€24,422.80) for the President.REGULATION No 422/67/EEC, 5/67/EURATOM OF THE COUNCIL
EurLexBase salary of grade 16, third step is €17,697.68
European Commission: Officials' salaries
– accessed 19 March 2010 However, the vice-president who also serves as the High Representative is paid at 130% (€23,006.98).Council Decision of 1 December 2009 laying down the conditions of employment of the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy
EurLex There are further allowances on top of these figures.

First Vice-President

The First Vice-President usually takes on the main role of a

vice president A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on t ...

: taking over from the President in their absence.

Frans Timmermans Frans is an Afrikaans, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Icelandic, Norwegian, and Swedish given name, sometimes as a short form of ''François''. One cognate of Frans in English is ''Francis''. Given name * Frans van Aarssens (1572–1641), Dutch diploma ...

is the incumbent First Vice-President having served in the position since 2014 in both the Juncker and von der Leyen Commissions. The position was established under the Barroso I Commission in 2004, with its first occupant being

Margot Wallström Margot Elisabeth Wallström (; born 28 September 1954) is a Swedish politician of the Swedish Social Democratic Party who served as Deputy Prime Minister of Sweden and Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2014 to 2019 and Minister for Nordic Cooper ...

. She was succeeded in the second Barroso Commission by

Catherine Ashton Catherine Margaret Ashton, Baroness Ashton of Upholland, (born 20 March 1956), is a British Labour politician who served as the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and First Vice President of the Europea ...

who was also the

Executive Vice-President

The

von der Leyen Commission The von der Leyen Commission is the current European Commission, in office since 1 December 2019 and is to last until the 2024 elections. It has Ursula von der Leyen as its president and it further consists of one commissioner from each of the m ...

established a new position of Executive Vice-President. There are three Executive Vice-Presidents, one of whom is the First Vice-President, who in addition to their other roles also manage a policy area, with a specific Directorate-General under their authority for this part of their job.

Historical vice-presidents

Legend: – – * First Vice-Presidents are in ''italics''. *Executive Vice-Presidents are in bold.

References

External links

European Commission Website
ec.europa.eu {{CommissionPortfolios