The Secretary-General of the

Council of the European Union The Council of the European Union, often referred to in the treaties and other official documents simply as the Council, and informally known as the Council of Ministers, is the third of the seven Institutions of the European Union (EU) as ...

heads the

General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union The General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union, also known as Council Secretariat, assists the Council of the European Union, the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the European Council and the President of the Euro ...

. In April 2015, the Council appointed the Danish diplomat

Jeppe Tranholm-Mikkelsen Jeppe Tranholm-Mikkelsen (born 30 October 1962) is a Danish diplomat who has served as Secretary-General of the Council of the European Union from 2015 to 2022. Early life and education Jeppe Tranholm-Mikkelsen was born on 30 October 1962 in A ...

as Secretary-General of the Council for the period from 1 July 2015 to 30 June 2020. He was appointed for a second term on 29 April 2020. The second, five-year term runs from 1 July 2020 to 30 June 2025. Previously, the post holder was also the

High Representative for the Common Foreign 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 b ...

, President of the

European Defence Agency The European Defence Agency (EDA) is an agency of the European Union (EU) that promotes and facilitates integration between member states within the EU's Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP). The EDA is headed by the High Representative ...

and the

Western European Union The Western European Union (WEU; french: Union de l'Europe occidentale, UEO; german: Westeuropäische Union, WEU) was the international organisation and military alliance that succeeded the Western Union (WU) after the 1954 amendment of the 1948 ...

. The

Treaty of Amsterdam The Treaty of Amsterdam, officially the Treaty of Amsterdam amending the Treaty on European Union, the Treaties establishing the European Communities and certain related acts, was signed on 2 October 1997, and entered into force on 1 May 1999; i ...

created the office of the

and specified that the Secretary-General would occupy that position simultaneously. Javier Solana exercised both functions from 1999 until 2009. The

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 ...

redefined the post of

High Representative 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 b ...

and again separated it from the office of Secretary-General of the Council. As of 2010, the Secretary-General's basic pay is equal to that of a top-tier

civil servant 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 ...

: €17,697.68 per month.Base salary of grade 16, third step is €17,697.68
European Commission: Officials' salaries
- accessed 19 March 2010COUNCIL DECISION of 1 December 2009 laying down the conditions of employment of the Secretary-General of the Council of the European Union
EurLex

List of Secretaries-General

References

Politics of the European Union Council of the European Union Political offices of the European Union Secretaries-general {{EU-stub

List of Secretaries-General

See also

References