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Vice-President of the European Commission

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A Vice-President of the European Commission is a member of the European Commission who leads the commission's work in particular focus areas in which multiple European Commissioners participate.

Currently, the European Commission has a total of seven Vice-Presidents: three Executive-Vice Presidents, three regular Vice-Presidents, and the High Representative who is ex officio also one of the Vice-Presidents.[1]

Role and benefits

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The role of Vice-President of the European Commission may be bestowed on any European Commissioner in addition to their existing portfolio. Vice-Presidents are appointed by the President of the European Commission and confirmed by the European Parliament.[1]

Since the 2009 Lisbon Treaty, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy is automatically and permanently one of the Vice-Presidents by virtue of their position as High Representative (commonly referred to as the 'HR/VP' role). This means they are not appointed as Vice-President as such, and the appointment procedure to the position of High Representative is different from that of the Commissioners.

Commission salaries are set as a percentage of the top civil service 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.[2][3] However, the vice-president who also serves as the High Representative is paid at 130% (€23,006.98).[4] There are further allowances on top of these figures.[2]

Executive Vice-President

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The von der Leyen Commission established a new position of Executive Vice-President. There are three Executive Vice-Presidents, each appointed from one of the three largest political groups in the European Parliament. In addition to their 'regular' role as Commissioner, they also manage a broader and horizontal policy area involving the coordination of multiple Commissioners. Unlike the other Vice-Presidents, Executive Vice-Presidents are assigned a specific Directorate-General under their authority for this part of their job and their policy areas are considered the top priorities of the incumbent European Commission.[5][6]

Between 2004 and 2019, the position of First Vice-President existed instead. The main role of this position was that of a vice president in the narrow sense: taking over from the President in their absence. The position was established under the Barroso I Commission in 2004, with its first occupant being Margot Wallström. She was succeeded in the second Barroso Commission by Catherine Ashton who was also the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. The last First Vice-President was Frans Timmermans as part of the Juncker Commission, who subsequently became one of three Executive Vice-Presidents in 2019.

List of vice-presidents

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Legend:     Socialist (PES)  Liberal (ALDE, Renew Europe)  People's (EPP-ED)
Commission Entered office Left office Name State Party
Hallstein I
7 January 1958 9 January 1962 Sicco Mansholt  Netherlands PvdA
7 January 1958 9 January 1962 Robert Marjolin  France SFIO
7 January 1958 15 September 1959 Piero Malvestiti  Italy DC
Hallstein II
10 January 1962 30 June 1967 Sicco Mansholt  Netherlands PvdA
10 January 1962 30 June 1967 Robert Marjolin  France SFIO
10 January 1962 15 May 1963 Giuseppe Caron  Italy DC
30 July 1965 30 June 1967 Lionello Sandri  Italy PSI
Rey
2 July 1967 30 June 1970 Sicco Mansholt  Netherlands PvdA
2 July 1967 30 June 1970 Lionello Sandri  Italy PSI
2 July 1967 30 June 1970 Fritz Hellwig  West Germany CDU
2 July 1967 30 June 1970 Raymond Barre  France UDF
2 July 1967 30 June 1970 Wilhelm Haferkamp  West Germany SPD
Malfatti
1 July 1970 21 March 1972 Sicco Mansholt  Netherlands PvdA
1 July 1970 21 March 1972 Wilhelm Haferkamp  West Germany SPD
Mansholt
22 March 1972 5 January 1973 Wilhelm Haferkamp  West Germany SPD
Ortoli
6 January 1973 5 January 1977 Patrick Hillery  Ireland FF
6 January 1973 5 January 1977 Wilhelm Haferkamp  West Germany SPD
6 January 1973 5 January 1977 Henri Simonet  Belgium PS
6 January 1973 5 January 1977 Christopher Soames  United Kingdom Con.
6 January 1973 5 January 1977 Carlo Scarascia-Mugnozza  Italy DC
Jenkins
6 January 1977 5 January 1981 Wilhelm Haferkamp  West Germany SPD
6 January 1977 5 January 1981 Henk Vredeling  Netherlands PvdA
6 January 1977 5 January 1981 Finn Olav Gundelach  Denmark SD
6 January 1977 5 January 1981 François-Xavier Ortoli  France RPR
6 January 1977 5 January 1981 Lorenzo Natali  Italy DC
Thorn
6 January 1981 5 January 1985 Christopher Tugendhat  United Kingdom Con.
6 January 1981 5 January 1985 François-Xavier Ortoli  France RPR
Delors I
6 January 1985 5 January 1989 Frans Andriessen  Netherlands CDA
6 January 1985 5 January 1989 Arthur Cockfield  United Kingdom Con.
6 January 1985 5 January 1989 Karl-Heinz Narjes  West Germany CDU
6 January 1985 5 January 1989 Lorenzo Natali  Italy DC
5 January 1986 5 January 1989 Manuel Marín  Spain PSOE
Delors II
6 January 1989 5 January 1993 Frans Andriessen  Netherlands CDA
6 January 1989 5 January 1993 Leon Brittan  United Kingdom Con.
6 January 1989 5 January 1993 Henning Christophersen  Denmark Venstre
6 January 1989 5 January 1993 Manuel Marín  Spain PSOE
6 January 1989 5 January 1993 Filippo Maria Pandolfi  Italy DC
Delors III
6 January 1993 22 January 1995 Martin Bangemann  Germany FDP
6 January 1993 22 January 1995 Leon Brittan  United Kingdom Con.
6 January 1993 22 January 1995 Henning Christophersen  Denmark Venstre
6 January 1993 22 January 1995 Manuel Marín  Spain PSOE
6 January 1993 22 January 1995 Karel Van Miert  Belgium Sp.a
6 January 1993 22 January 1995 Antonio Ruberti  Italy PSI
Santer
23 January 1995 13 September 1999 Leon Brittan  United Kingdom Con.
23 January 1995 19 July 1999 Manuel Marín  Spain PSOE
Prodi
16 September 1999 21 November 2004 Neil Kinnock  United Kingdom Labour
16 September 1999 21 November 2004 Loyola de Palacio  Spain PP
Barroso I
22 November 2004 9 February 2010 Margot Wallström  Sweden SAP
22 November 2004 9 February 2010 Günter Verheugen  Germany PSD
22 November 2004 9 February 2010 Jacques Barrot  France UMP
22 November 2004 9 February 2010 Siim Kallas  Estonia ERP
22 November 2004 8 May 2008 Franco Frattini  Italy FI
9 May 2008 9 February 2010 Antonio Tajani  Italy FI
Barroso II
9 February 2010 31 October 2014 Catherine Ashton  United Kingdom Labour
9 February 2010 1 July 2014 Viviane Reding  Luxembourg CSV
9 February 2010 31 October 2014 Joaquín Almunia  Spain PSOE
9 February 2010 31 October 2014 Siim Kallas  Estonia ERP
9 February 2010 31 October 2014 Neelie Kroes  Netherlands VVD
9 February 2010 1 July 2014 Antonio Tajani  Italy PDL
9 February 2010 31 October 2014 Maroš Šefčovič  Slovakia Smer
27 October 2011 1 July 2014 Olli Rehn  Finland SK
1 July 2014 31 October 2014 Michel Barnier  France UMP
1 July 2014 31 October 2014 Günther Oettinger  Germany CDU
16 July 2014 31 October 2014 Jyrki Katainen  Finland KOK
Juncker
1 November 2014 30 November 2019 Frans Timmermans  Netherlands PvdA
1 November 2014 30 November 2019 Federica Mogherini  Italy PD
1 November 2014 31 December 2016 Kristalina Georgieva  Bulgaria GERB
1 November 2014 30 November 2019 Jyrki Katainen  Finland KOK
1 November 2014 30 November 2019 Valdis Dombrovskis  Latvia Unity
1 November 2014 1 July 2019 Andrus Ansip  Estonia ERP
1 November 2014 30 November 2019 Maroš Šefčovič  Slovakia Smer-SD
Von der Leyen
1 December 2019 22 August 2023 Frans Timmermans  Netherlands PvdA
1 December 2019 present Margrethe Vestager  Denmark RV
1 December 2019 present Valdis Dombrovskis  Latvia Unity
1 December 2019[a] present Maroš Šefčovič  Slovakia Smer-SD
1 December 2019 present Josep Borrell  Spain PSOE
1 December 2019 present Věra Jourová  Czech Republic ANO
1 December 2019 present Dubravka Šuica  Croatia HDZ
1 December 2019 present Margaritis Schinas  Greece ND
  • First Vice-Presidents are in italics.
  • Executive Vice-Presidents are in bold.

Notes

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  1. ^ Executive Vice-President as of August 2023 after the resignation of Frans Timmermans

References

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  1. ^ a b "The Commissioners". European Commission. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
  2. ^ a b REGULATION No 422/67/EEC, 5/67/EURATOM OF THE COUNCIL, EurLex
  3. ^ Base salary of grade 16, third step is €17,697.68: European Commission: Officials' salaries – accessed 19 March 2010
  4. ^ 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
  5. ^ "Mission letter of Frans Timmermans" (PDF). European Commission. 10 September 2019.
  6. ^ "The Working Methods of the von der Leyen Commission". European Commission. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
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