President of the European Union

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At present, there is no single President of the European Union. However it is an informal term for two posts and a theoretical position under the Treaty of Lisbon.

[edit] President of the European Commission

The President of the European Commission heads the body which is the executive arm of the European Union. The President has control over the body, its members and civil service. The Commission drafts new proposed laws and deals with the day-to-day running of the Union (dealing with the budget and implementing decisions). The Commission also represents the EU in organisations such as the WTO or G8.^[1][2]

The President is formally appointed by the ministerial Council of the European Union (in practice, the European Council - the heads of government of each member state) every five years and approved by the European Parliament to which the President is accountable (the Parliament can censure the Commission). The President then chooses the other commissioners, together with the member states, and then assigns responsibilities to each of them. Before they take office, they also must go before the Parliament.^[1][2]

Although the Commission Presidency has sometimes been described as the President of the EU, it is more accurate to liken the position to being the European Prime Minister given the Union's cabinet style of government.^[3][4] Under the Treaty of Lisbon, the President would be formally appointed by the European Council after taking into account the latest European elections.^[5] This may lead to a greater link to the elections, for example the political parties each having a nomination and the winner being nominated by the European Council.^[6][7][8]

[edit] President of the European Council

At present, the President-in-Office of the European Council is the member of the European Council belonging to the state which currently holds the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, which rotates every six months. The position has no executive powers, the President just chairs the Council and represents it, and the EU, abroad (attending G8 summits for example). Under the Treaty of Lisbon, the position would become a fixed, two-and-a-half year post held by someone appointed by the European Council members, to whom the President is accountable. It would gain no new executive powers however and would be primarily administrative. It would have defined foreign policy roles.^[9][10] This position has attracted the name of "President of the European Union" the most in the media, especially in relation to who will be the first to fill the post.^{[11][12][13][14]}

[edit] Relationship

At present the European Council President is a rather informal position but does, for example, attend the G8 summits alongside the Commission President. However as the role becomes more formalised under the Treaty of Lisbon, the relationship is expected to change. Given the strengthening of the European Council and its President, the two posts may clash on who is running the EU. Further more the two might to be from opposing political parties, creating a division on the direction of the EU (political majorities in the Council and Parliament rarely coincide).^[15]

The dual executive nature of the positions has been compared to the French republic, where there is a President (the European Council President) and Prime Minister (the Commission President). However, unlike the French model, the European Council President does not hold formal powers such as the ability to directly appoint and sack the other, or the ability to dissolve Parliament. Hence while the European Council President may have prestige, it would lack power and while the Commission President would have power, it would lack the prestige of the former.^[15]

The vagueness of the issue in the Treaty of Lisbon, and the overlapping job descriptions of not only the two Presidents but also the High Representative, has caused nervousness in Brussels over what will happen with the coming into force of the Treaty. The division between the European Council President and the High Representative is still unclear and the effect on the Commission as a whole, which the High Representative will be a part of, is another uncertainty concerning the establishment.^[16]

[edit] Combined position

Under the Treaty of Lisbon the President of the European Council is barred from simultaneously holding a national office. This would mean that a national leader cannot be President at the same time, as they are today, however s/he is not barred from holding another Union-level office, notably the Commission Presidency. This is designed to allow for the two posts to be unofficially merged into a single executive office if the member states wish.^[9][10]

It is unclear if or when this would be used but it would make the Commission more of a government, with the Council in practice no longer an independent body. The combined executive powers would be simpler and the President would gain the powers, legitimacy and prestige of both positions.^[17]

[edit] See also

• List of presidents of EU institutions

[edit] Footnotes

[edit] External links

• Slovenian Presidency eu2008.si
• Commission President ec.europa.eu