The Luxembourg Presidents of the European Commission
The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. As such, the Commission in particular proposes new legislation, draws up the budget, ensures compliance with European law and represents the EU externally. It consists of one Commissioner per EU Member State and is headed by the President of the Commission who decides on the allocation of responsibilities. Luxembourg, as a founding member of the European Union, has so far provided 3 Presidents of the European Commission: Gaston Thorn (1981-1985), Jacques Santer (1995-1999), and Jean-Claude Juncker (2014-2019).
Gaston Thorn
During his term in office as head of the EU executive (6 January 1981 to 5 January 1985), Gaston Thorn was particularly involved in the negotiations on the second enlargement of the Community to include Spain and Portugal.
Jacques Santer
While Jacques Santer was its president (23 January 1995 to 15 September 1999), the European Commission made progress on a number of European issues, such as the introduction of the euro, the enlargement of the EU to include countries in Central and Eastern Europe, and employment policy.
Jean-Claude Juncker
From 1 November 2014 to 30 November 2019 Jean-Claude Juncker is President of the European Commission. He is the first president of the European Commission to be elected to the post by the European Parliament.
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