View source for President of the European Council

{{Short description|Head of the European Council}}
{{Distinguish|Presidency of the Council of the European Union|President of the European Commission}}
{{EngvarB|date=January 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}}
{{Infobox official post
| post            = President
| body            = the European Council
| insignia        = Council of the EU and European Council.svg
| insigniasize    = 
| insigniacaption = Emblem of European Council
| flag            = Flag of Europe.svg
| flagsize        = 130
| flagcaption     = [[Flag of Europe]]
| image           = File:Antonio Costa Portrait 2024 (cropped).jpg
| incumbent       = [[António Costa]]
| incumbentsince  = 1 December 2024
| department      = [[European Council]]
| style           = President<ref>{{cite book |title=English Style Guide: A handbook for authors and translators in the European Commission |date=November 2024 |publisher=European Commission |page=126 |edition=8 |url=https://commission.europa.eu/document/download/c45f5b70-2d0e-4da7-b181-b5fe3a16c4bb_en |access-date=22 November 2024}}</ref>
| status          = Presiding and [[chief administrative officer]]
| member_of       = [[European Council]] (non-voting)
| residence       = [[Europa building]]
| seat            = [[Brussels]], Belgium
| appointer       = European Council
| appointer_qualified = by [[Qualified majority voting|qualified majority]]
| termlength      = 2.5 years, renewable once
| constituting_instrument = [[Treaties of the European Union]]
| precursor       = Chairman of the European Council
| formation       = 1 December 2009
| first           = [[Herman Van Rompuy]]
| website         = {{url|www.consilium.europa.eu/en/european-council/president/|consilium.europa.eu}}
}}
The '''president of the European Council''' is the person presiding over and driving forward the work of the [[European Council]] on the world stage.<ref>[http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cmsUpload/cg00014.en07.pdf Treaty of Lisbon amending the Treaty on European Union and the Treaty establishing the European Community], Article 9 B</ref> This [[Institutions of the European Union|institution]] comprises the college of heads of state or government of [[European Union]] (EU) [[Member state of the European Union|member states]] as well as the [[president of the European Commission]], and provides political direction to the EU.

From 1975 to 2009, the chair of the European Council was an unofficial position (often referred to as the [[president-in-office]]) held by the [[head of state]] or [[Head of government|government]] of the member state holding the semiannually rotating [[presidency of the Council of the European Union]] at any given time. However, since the 2007 [[Treaty of Lisbon]], article 15 of [[Treaty on European Union]] states that the European Council appoints a full-time president for a two-and-a-half-year term, with the possibility of renewal once. Appointments, as well as the removal of incumbents, require a [[double majority]] support in the European Council.

On 19 November 2009, the European Council agreed that its first president under the Lisbon Treaty would be [[Herman Van Rompuy]] ([[European People's Party]]), until then the Belgian prime minister. Van Rompuy took office when the [[Treaty of Lisbon|Lisbon Treaty]] came into force on 1 December 2009 with a term stretching until 31 May 2012.<ref>{{cite web |title=European Council statement on the measures taken regarding the implementation of the Treaty of Lisbon |url=http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressdata/en/ec/111607.pdf |publisher=Consilium}}</ref> His term was later extended with a second period ending on 30 November 2014.

The second holder of the office was (until then) Polish prime minister [[Donald Tusk]]. He was originally elected to serve a term from 1 December 2014 to 31 May 2017,<ref>{{cite web |title=Italy's Mogherini and Poland's Tusk get top EU jobs |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-28989875 |publisher=[[BBC News]] |date=30 August 2014 |access-date=31 March 2022}}</ref> and was re-elected on 9 March 2017 to a second term running from 1 June 2017 until 30 November 2019.<ref>{{cite web |last=Herszenhorn |first=David M. |title=EU leaders defy Warsaw to reappoint Donald Tusk |url=http://www.politico.eu/article/eu-leaders-reappoint-donald-tusk-as-council-president/ |publisher=Politico |date=9 March 2017 |access-date=31 March 2022}}</ref>

On 2 July 2019, the European Council elected the until then Belgian prime minister [[Charles Michel]] as the successor to Donald Tusk as the third President of the European Council, for the period from 1 December 2019 to 31 May 2022.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.consilium.europa.eu/media/40136/20190607-special-euco-conclusions-en.pdf|title=Special meeting of the European Council (30 June, 1 and 2 July 2019) – Conclusions}}</ref> He was re-elected in March 2022 for a second term for period from 1 June 2022 to 30 November 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Charles Michel re-elected president of the European Council |url=https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2022/03/24/charles-michel-re-elected-president-of-the-european-council/ |access-date=2022-10-19 |website=www.consilium.europa.eu |language=en}}</ref>

Effective 1 December 2024, Michel was replaced by [[António Costa]], who had left office as Portuguese prime minister earlier the same year, becoming the fourth and latest President of the European Council.{{fact|date=September 2025}}

== History ==
=== Early form ===
{{further|List of European Councils}}
The first meeting of all [[European Communities]] heads of state or government was held in 1961 as an informal summit, but only became formalised in 1974, when it was dubbed "European Council" by the then French president [[Valéry Giscard d'Estaing]]. With the establishment of the [[European Union]] in 1993, the presidency of the European Council was based on the [[presidency of the Council of the European Union]], being hosted by the [[European Union member state|member state]] holding the Council presidency, rotating every six months. As the European Council is composed of national leaders, it was chaired by the head of state or government of the presidency state.<ref name="Dragoman">{{cite web |last=Stark |first=Christine |title=Evolution of the European Council: The implications of a permanent chair |publisher=Dragoman.org |url=http://www.dragoman.org/ec/belfast-2002.pdf|access-date=12 July 2007}}</ref><ref name="nbiz">{{cite web|last=van Grinsven|first=Peter|title=The European Council under Construction|publisher=Netherlands Institution for international Relations|date=September 2003|url=http://www.nbiz.nl/publications/2003/20030900_cli_paper_dip_issue88.pdf|access-date=16 August 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928110519/http://www.nbiz.nl/publications/2003/20030900_cli_paper_dip_issue88.pdf|archive-date=28 September 2007}}</ref><ref name="Treaties">{{cite web|last=Europa|author-link=Europa (web portal)|title=Consolidated EU Treaties|url=http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/site/en/oj/2006/ce321/ce32120061229en00010331.pdf|access-date=27 June 2007 }}</ref>

=== Permanent post ===
The [[Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe|European Constitution]], drafted by the [[Convention on the Future of Europe|European Convention]], outlined the "president of the European Council" as a longer term and full-time chairmanship.<ref name="Constitution">{{cite web|publisher=[[Europa (web portal)|Europa]]|title=SCADPlus: The Institutions of the Union: European Council|url=http://europa.eu/scadplus/constitution/europeancouncil_en.htm|access-date=27 June 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091221041824/http://europa.eu/scadplus/constitution/europeancouncil_en.htm|archive-date=21 December 2009}}</ref> The Constitution was rejected by voters in two Member States during ratification but the changes envisaged to the European Council presidency were retained in the Treaty of Lisbon, which came into force on 1 December 2009.

The first president was expected to define the role for future office holders, as there was no clear idea of how the post would evolve.<ref name="first names EUO">{{cite web|last=Goldirova|first=Renata|title=First names floated for top new EU jobs|publisher=EU Observer|date=22 October 2007|url=http://euobserver.com/9/25009|access-date=22 October 2007}}</ref>

One body of thought was that the president would stick to a quasi-administrative role, a standard bearer who would simply chair meetings and ensure the smooth running of the body and its policies. This would attract semi-retired leaders seeking a fitting climax to their career and would leave most work to the Commission rather than wield power within the institutions.<ref name=autogenerated1>{{cite web|last=Iey Berry|first=Peter Sain|date=16 November 2007|publisher=EU Observer|title=[Comment] The new EU president" standard bearer or shaker?|url=http://euobserver.com/9/25161|access-date=18 November 2007}}</ref>

Another opinion, however, envisaged a more pro-active President within the Union and speaking for it abroad. The office would hence be quickly fashioned, according to promoters, into a ''de facto'' "president of Europe" and, unlike the first model, would be seen on the world stage as speaking for the EU. Persons connected to this position would be more charismatic leaders.<ref name="Constitution"/> The appointment of Herman Van Rompuy indicated a desire to see the former style of president.{{fact|date=September 2025}}

In any case, a number of practical reasons were suggested for having the new style President<ref>Corbett, Richard. ‘President of the European Council, new kid on the block: asset or complication?'. In 'The European Union after the Lisbon Treaty, Maastricht Centre for European Governance, Maastricht Monnet Lecture Series Vol. 3 (2011).</ref> The previous rotating presidency meant a new chair every second or third meeting, with no choice as to who it would be. Incumbants had little time to devote to preparing meetings, as they had a national government to run (a growing problem as the number of members to negotiate with expanded with EU enlargement). Further, when representing the EU externally at G7 or G20 summits, they  were often simultaneously representing their own country. Allowing the European Council to choose a full time, longer-term President who was not simultaneously a national head of government avoided these problems.{{fact|date=September 2025}}

The [[Treaty of Lisbon]] does not define a nomination process for the president of the Council and initially several official and unofficial candidates were proposed. At the final European Council meeting on the treaty in Lisbon, on 19 November 2007, French president [[Nicolas Sarkozy]] set off public speculation on candidates by naming [[Tony Blair]], [[Felipe González]] and [[Jean-Claude Juncker]], and praising the three as worthy candidates<ref name="FdSarkoBlairJuncker">{{cite web|title=CONFERENCE DE PRESSE DU PRESIDENT DE LA REPUBLIQUE, M. NICOLAS SARKOZY|publisher=France diplomatie|date=19 October 2007|url=https://pastel.diplomatie.gouv.fr/editorial/actual/ael2/bulletin.asp?liste=20071022.html|access-date=18 February 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110725104457/https://pastel.diplomatie.gouv.fr/editorial/actual/ael2/bulletin.asp?liste=20071022.html|archive-date=25 July 2011}}</ref> with Blair in particular being a long time front runner for the post. However, he faced large scale opposition for being from a large state outside the [[eurozone]] and the [[Schengen Area]], as well as being a leader who entered the [[Iraq War]], which had split Europe. Minor opposition to other leaders such as Juncker also led to their rejection.{{Citation needed|date=November 2009}}

=== Full-time president ===
On 19 November 2009, [[Herman Van Rompuy]], at that time [[Prime Minister of Belgium]], was appointed the first full-time president of the European Council. The formal decision on the appointment was made after the [[Treaty of Lisbon]] came into force on 1 December 2009.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.consilium.europa.eu/showFocus.aspx?id=1&focusid=418&lang=en| title = New leadership team for Europe| access-date = 24 November 2009| publisher=[[Council of the European Union]]| quote = The formal decisions on these appointments will be taken once the Treaty of Lisbon has entered into force, on 1 December 2009.}}</ref> The British prime minister, [[Gordon Brown]], said that he had unanimous backing from the 27 EU leaders at the summit in Brussels on the evening of 19 November 2009. Brown praised Van Rompuy as "a consensus builder" who had "brought a period of political stability to his country after months of uncertainty".<ref>{{cite news | url =https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8367589.stm| work=The Daily Telegraph | title =Belgian PM Van Rompuy is named as new EU president| date = 19 November 2009|access-date = 20 November 2009}}</ref> At a press conference after his appointment, Van Rompuy commented: "Every country should emerge victorious from negotiations. A negotiation that ends with a defeated party is never a good negotiation. I will consider everyone's interests and sensitivities. Even if our unity remains our strength, our diversity remains our wealth", he said, stressing the individuality of EU member states.<ref>[http://www.latimes.com/news/nation-and-world/la-fg-eu-president20-2009nov20,0,7505745.story Henry Chu: European Union settles on a Belgian and a Briton for top posts. Los Angeles Times.] Retrieved 19 November 2009.</ref>

Van Rompuy's first council meeting was an informal gathering in the Solvay Library in [[Leopold Park]], rather than the more usual formal gathering in the [[Justus Lipsius building]] nearby. The meeting was called to reflect on long term structural economic problems facing Europe, but was overtaken by the [[European sovereign debt crisis|Greek economic crisis]].

== Duties and powers ==
===Pre-2009===
The role of ''President-in-Office'' of the assembled European Council was performed by the [[head of state]] or government of the member state currently holding the [[presidency of the Council of the European Union]]. This presidency rotated every six months, meaning there was a new president of the European Council twice a year.

The role as President-in-Office was merely a ''[[primus inter pares]]'' role among other European heads of state or government. However, the president-in-office represented the European Council externally and reported to the [[European Parliament]] after its meetings as well as at the beginning and at the end of the presidency.<ref name="How work">{{cite web |title=How does the EU work |publisher=[[Europa (web portal)|Europa]] |url=http://europa.eu/abc/12lessons/lesson_4/index_en.htm |access-date=12 July 2007}}</ref><ref name="Europa Council">{{cite web |title=European Council |publisher=Europa |url=http://europa.eu/european_council/index_en.htm |access-date=12 July 2007}}</ref>

===Post-2009===
[[File:President of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, during a visit to the Paranal Observatory.jpg|thumb|President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy during a visit to the [[Paranal Observatory]].<ref>{{cite news |title=European High-level Delegations visit Paranal |url=http://www.eso.org/public/news/eso1305/ |publisher=ESO Press Release |access-date=12 February 2013}}</ref>]]
The president's role is largely political, preparing the work of the European Council, organising and chairing its meetings, seeking to find consensus among its members and reporting to the European Parliament after each meeting; the president will also ''"at his level and in that capacity, ensure the external representation of the Union on issues concerning its common foreign and security policy, without prejudice to the powers of the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security"''.<ref name="Council Press Release">{{cite web |title=President of the European Council |url=http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressdata/en/ec/111298.pdf |publisher=General Secretariat of the Council of the EU |date=24 November 2009 |access-date=24 November 2009}}</ref> Some overlap between the roles of the president of the European Council, the President of the Commission, and the High Representative—notably in foreign policy—leaves uncertainty about how much influence the President of the European Council will acquire. There is further concern over whether the president will have sufficient personnel and resources to fulfil the duties of the post effectively and that, in lacking a ministry, the president might become a "play ball" between EU leaders.<ref name="Vauge">{{cite web |last=Mahony |first=Honor |title=Unclear EU treaty provisions causing 'nervousness' |url=http://euobserver.com/9/25234 |publisher=EU Observer |date=28 November 2007 |access-date=28 November 2007}}</ref>

With the reorganisation of leading EU posts under the [[Lisbon Treaty]], there was some criticism of each post's vague responsibilities. Ukrainian ambassador to the EU [[Andriy Veselovsky]] praised the framework and clarified it in his own terms: The [[president of the European Commission]] speaks as the EU's "government" while the new president of the European Council is a "strategist". The [[High Representative]] specialises in "bilateral relations" while the [[European Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy|European commissioner for enlargement and European neighbourhood policy]] deals in technical matters such as the free trade agreement with Ukraine. The [[president of the European Parliament]] meanwhile articulates the EU's values.<ref name="Ukr">Rettman, Andrew, (15 March 2010) [http://euobserver.com/9/29680 Ukraine gives positive appraisal of new-model EU], EU Observer</ref>

The European Council president also extended his influence into financial policy, the most important area left to the rotating Council presidency, with the rotating presidency seeing a greater decrease in power than previously planned.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://euobserver.com/institutional/30236|title=Poland to showcase its EU credentials in Brussels extravaganza|website=EUobserver|date=8 June 2010 }}</ref> Many of the changes introduced with the Lisbon Treaty need concretion through practical implementation by the current actors. The Spanish presidency unsuccessfully tried to challenge the European Council president's prominent post during the first rotating presidency of 2010,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://euobserver.com/institutional/30385|title=Spain ends invisible EU presidency|website=EUobserver|date=30 June 2010 }}</ref> while the second half of the year saw a Belgian rotating presidency marked by a weakened [[caretaker government]] which did not challenge Herman van Rompuy, himself a Belgian politician. The Belgian rotating presidency announced it was taking a "backrow seat"<ref>{{cite web|url=https://euobserver.com/institutional/30392|title=Belgian presidency sets parliament in its sights|website=EUobserver|date=July 2010 }}</ref> with regards to both the European Council president and the high representative, thus fuelling hopes as well as concerns for a more communitarian character in both the council and foreign policy.

==Privileges of office==
Formal negotiations on the salary and privileges of the permanent presidency began in April 2008 as part of the draft of the 2009 [[Budget of the European Union|EU budget]]. The outcome was that the president should enjoy the same conditions as the president of the Commission, with a basic salary of 138% of the highest [[European Civil Service|civil service]] grade (not including family and other allowances).<ref>{{cite web |title=COUNCIL DECISION of 1 December 2009 laying down the conditions of employment of the President of the European Council |url=http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2009:322:0035:0035:EN:PDF |work=EurLex |publisher=[[European Commission]] |access-date=20 June 2010 |format=PDF |quote=The basic monthly salary of the President of the European Council shall be equal to the amount resulting from application of 138% to the basic salary of an official of the European Union at grade 16 third step.}}</ref><ref name="Salaries">Basic salary of grade 16, third step is €18,025.09. 138% of  €18,025.09 = €24,874,62 <br/>{{cite web |url=http://ec.europa.eu/civil_service/docs/salary_officials_en.pdf|title=Table: officials, Article 66|date=1 July 2009|publisher=[[European Commission]] Civil Service|access-date=20 June 2010}}</ref><ref name="Com Emp">{{cite web|url=  http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CONSLEG:1967R0422:20040501:EN:PDF|title= Regulation No 422/67/EEC, 5/67/Euratom of the Council|date= 25 July 1967|work=EurLex|publisher=[[European Commission]]|format=pdf|access-date=20 June 2010}}
</ref> This means a monthly salary of €31,200.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-05-24 |title=EU AMA: Who is the highest-paid EU official? |url=https://www.theparliamentmagazine.eu/news/article/eu-europe-highestpaid-official |access-date=2025-04-08 |website=The Parliament Magazine |language=en}}</ref>

The president receives a chauffeured car and around 20 dedicated staff members. He also has a housing allowance, rather than an [[official residence]] which was considered "too symbolic". Likewise, the idea of a private jet was also rejected for being symbolic and, as one diplomat pointed out, a discrepancy in privileges between the European Council and Commission presidents may only fuel rivalry between the two.<ref name="EUO April Perks">{{cite web |last=Mahony |first=Honor |title=Member states consider perks and staff for new EU president |url=http://euobserver.com/9/25968 |publisher=EU Observer |date=14 April 2008 |access-date=15 April 2008}}</ref>

The possibility of there being greater perks for the European Council president than Commission president prompted Parliament to threaten a rejection of the 2009 budget. It saw a large salary and extras as a symbolic signal that the post is intended to become more powerful, increasing [[intergovernmentalism]] at the Parliament's expense. With some in the Council suggesting a staff of up to 60, one MEP has argued in 2008 that the [[Committee on Constitutional Affairs]] ought to drop the [[gentlemen's agreement]] that Parliament and Council will not interfere in each other's budget.<ref name="EUO Parl Perks">{{cite web |last=Mahony |first=Honor |title=MEPs to use budget power over EU president perks |url=http://euobserver.com/9/26018 |publisher=EU Observer |date=22 April 2008 |access-date=22 April 2008}}</ref>

==President's office==
{{refsection|date=March 2017}}
Although the European Council is, under the terms of the Lisbon treaty, a separate institution of the EU, it does not have its own administration. The administrative support for both the European Council and its President is provided by the [[General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union]]. The president does have, however, his own private office (''cabinet'') of close advisers. Van Rompuy chose as his first chief of staff (''chef de cabinet'') Baron Frans van Daele, formerly Belgian ambassador to, variously, the US, the UN, the EU and NATO and chief of staff of several Belgian foreign ministers. Upon his retirement in the autumn of 2012, [[Didier Seeuws]], former Deputy Perm Rep of Belgium to the EU and former spokesman for Belgian PM Verhofstadt, replaced him. Also in his team were the former UK Labour MEP [[Richard Corbett]] and Van Rompuy's long standing press officer Dirk De Backer.

==Democratic mandate==
=== Election ===
The president of the European Council is elected by its members through a [[Voting in the Council of the European Union|reinforced qualified majority]] vote for a once-renewable term of two and a half years.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/european-council/role-nominations-appointment/|title=The role of the European Council in nominations and appointments|website=European Counil|access-date=4 July 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/council-eu/voting-system/qualified-majority/|title=Qualified majority|website=European Counil|access-date=4 July 2024}}</ref> Article 15 of the [[Treaty on European Union]] (TEU) identifies his duties. It is the Heads of State or Government who vote for this office.<ref name=cons1>{{Cite web|url=http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/european-council/president/role/|access-date=21 March 2015|title=European Council: The President's role|quote=The President the European Council is elected by the European Council by a qualified majority. He is elected for a 2.5-year term, which is renewable once.}}</ref>

The lack of accountability to [[Member of the European Parliament|MEPs]] or national [[Member of Parliament|parliamentarians]] has also cast doubt as to whether national leaders will in practice stand behind the president on major issues.<ref name="Vauge"/> Under the rotational system, the presidents simply had the [[Mandate (politics)|mandate]] of their member states, while the new permanent president is chosen by the members of the European Council.<ref name="Leinen utopian"/>

There have been calls by some, such as former German interior minister and former head of the Bundestag [[Wolfgang Schäuble]],<ref>{{cite web |title=British Conservatives call for EU to return powers |url=http://euobserver.com/9/28216 |work=EUobserver |date=2 June 2009 |access-date=2 June 2009}}</ref> for [[direct election]]s to take place to give the President a mandate, this would strengthen the post within the European Council allowing for stronger leadership in addition to addressing the question of democratic legitimacy in the EU. However, this might cause conflict with [[European Parliament|Parliament's]] democratic mandate or a potential mandate for the Commission (see section below). To give a mandate to the European Council's president would signify a development of the [[Institutions of the European Union|Union's governance]] towards a [[presidential system]], rather than a [[parliamentary system]].<ref name="Leinen utopian">{{cite web|last=Leinen|first=Jo|title=A President of Europe is not Utopian, it's practical politics|publisher=Europe's World|url=http://www.europesworld.org/EWSettings/Article/tabid/78/Default.aspx?Id=14db4079-1eb1-4110-9f53-ed343139403d|access-date=18 November 2007}}</ref> 

===Relationship with Commission===
{{see also|President of the European Commission}}
There had been disagreement and concern over competition between the former president of the European Council Van Rompuy and the former Commission president Barroso, due to the vague language of the treaty. Some clarifications saw Van Rompuy as the "strategist" and Barroso as a [[head of government]]. In terms of economic policy, Van Rompuy saw the European Council as dealing with overall strategy and the Commission as dealing with the implementation. Despite weekly breakfasts together, there was a certain extent of rivalry between the two yet-defined posts.<ref name="Duff VR">[[Andrew Duff|Duff, Andrew]] (23 February 2010) [https://www.ft.com/content/913633f6-1f90-11df-8975-00144feab49a Who is Herman Van Rompuy?]</ref><ref name="Ukr"/><ref name="VanB"/>

Although the president of the European Council may not hold a national office, such as a prime minister of a member state, there is no such restraint on European offices. For example, the president may be an [[Member of the European Parliament|MEP]], or more significantly the [[President of the European Commission|Commission president]] (who already sits in the European Council). This would allow the European Council to concurrently appoint one person to the roles and powers of both president of the European Council and president of the European Commission, thus creating a single presidential position for the union as a whole.<ref name="Constitution"/>

Since the creation of the European Council presidency, former president [[Herman Van Rompuy|Van Rompuy]] and former Commission President [[José Manuel Barroso|Barroso]] had begun to compete with each other as Van Rompuy had benefited from the general shift in power from the Commission to the European Council yet with Barroso still holding the real powers. At international summits they continued previous practice of both going at the same time. The complicated situation had renewed some calls to merge the posts, possibly at the end of Barroso's term in 2014. However some member states had expected to oppose the creation of such a high-profile post.<ref name="Duff VR"/><ref name="VanB">{{cite web|publisher=[[EU Observer]]|title=A Van Barroso?|url=http://blogs.euobserver.com/mahony/2010/04/15/a-van-barroso/|date=15 April 2010|access-date=16 April 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100417113809/http://blogs.euobserver.com/mahony/2010/04/15/a-van-barroso/|archive-date=17 April 2010}}</ref>

If the posts are not to be combined, some believe that the dual-presidential system could lead to "cohabitation" and infighting between the two offices. While it is comparable to the [[Political system of France|French model]], where there is a [[President of France|president]] (the European Council president) and [[Prime Minister of France|prime minister]] (the Commission president), the Council president does not hold formal powers such as the ability to directly appoint and sack the Commission president, or the ability to dissolve Parliament. The European Council president has prestige, but lacks power. The Commission president has power, but lacks the prestige of the European Council president.<ref name="FG Plan">{{cite web|last1=Hix|first1=Simon|last2=Roland|first2=Gérard|publisher=[[Foreign Policy Centre]]|title=Why the Franco-German Plan would institutionalise 'cohabitation' for Europe|url=http://fpc.org.uk/articles/201|access-date=1 October 2007 }}</ref> Some believe this problem would be increased further if the Council president were to be strengthened by a democratic [[Mandate (politics)|mandate]], as mentioned above.<ref name="Leinen utopian"/>

== List of presidents of the European Council ==

===Rotating presidency===
{| class="sortable wikitable"
! Year
! Period
! President-in-Office
! colspan=2|European party
! Presidency
|-
! rowspan=2 | 1975
! Jan–Jun
| [[Liam Cosgrave]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|European People's Party}}|
|[[European People's Party]]
| {{flagu|Ireland}}
|-
! Jul–Dec
| [[Aldo Moro]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|European People's Party}}|
| [[European People's Party]]
| {{flagu|Italy}}
|-
! rowspan=2 | 1976
! Jan–Jun
| [[Gaston Thorn]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party}}|
| [[Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party|Liberal and Democratic Group]]
| {{flagu|Luxembourg}}
|-
! Jul–Dec
| [[Joop den Uyl]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Party of European Socialists}}|
| [[Party of European Socialists]]
| {{flagu|Netherlands}}
|-
! rowspan=2 | 1977
! Jan–Jun
| [[James Callaghan]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Party of European Socialists}}|
| [[Party of European Socialists]]
| {{flagu|United Kingdom}}
|-
! Jul–Dec
| [[Leo Tindemans]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|European People's Party}}|
| [[European People's Party]]
| {{flagu|Belgium}}
|-
! rowspan=2 | 1978
! Jan–Jun
| [[Anker Jørgensen]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Party of European Socialists}}|
| [[Party of European Socialists]]
| {{flagu|Denmark}}
|-
! Jul–Dec
| [[Helmut Schmidt]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Party of European Socialists}}|
| [[Party of European Socialists]]
| {{flagu|West Germany}}
|-
! rowspan=3 | 1979
! Jan–Jun
| [[Valéry Giscard d'Estaing]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party}}|
| [[Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party|European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party]]
| {{flagu|France}}
|-
! Jul–Dec
| [[Jack Lynch]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|European Progressive Democrats}}|
| [[European Progressive Democrats]]
| rowspan=2 | {{flagu|Ireland}}
|-
! Dec
| [[Charles Haughey]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|European Progressive Democrats}}|
| [[European Progressive Democrats]]
|-
! rowspan=2 | 1980
! Jan–Jun
| [[Francesco Cossiga]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|European People's Party}}|
| [[European People's Party]]
| {{flagu|Italy}}
|-
! Jul–Dec
| [[Pierre Werner]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|European People's Party}}|
| [[European People's Party]]
| {{flagu|Luxembourg}}
|-
! rowspan=2 | 1981
! Jan–Jun
| [[Dries van Agt]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|European People's Party}}|
| [[European People's Party]]
| {{flagu|Netherlands}}
|-
! Jul–Dec
| [[Margaret Thatcher]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Independent politician}}|
| [[Independent (politician)|Independent]] 
| {{flagu|United Kingdom}}
|-
! rowspan=3 | 1982
! Jan–Jun 
| [[Wilfried Martens]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|European People's Party}}|
| [[European People's Party]]
| {{flagu|Belgium}}
|-
! Jul–Sep
| [[Anker Jørgensen]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Party of European Socialists}}|
| [[Party of European Socialists]]
| rowspan=2 | {{flagu|Denmark}}
|-
! Sep–Dec 
| [[Poul Schlüter]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|European People's Party}}|
| [[European People's Party]]
|-
! rowspan=2 | 1983
! Jan–Jun 
| [[Helmut Kohl]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|European People's Party}}|
| [[European People's Party]]
| {{flagu|West Germany}}
|-
! Jul–Dec 
| [[Andreas Papandreou]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Party of European Socialists}}|
| [[Party of European Socialists]]
| {{flagu|Greece}}
|-
! rowspan=2 | 1984
! Jan–Jun 
| [[François Mitterrand]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Party of European Socialists}}|
| [[Party of European Socialists]]
| {{flagu|France}}
|-
! Jul–Dec 
| [[Garret FitzGerald]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|European People's Party}}|
| [[European People's Party]]
| {{flagu|Ireland}}
|-
! rowspan=2 | 1985
! Jan–Jun
| [[Bettino Craxi]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Party of European Socialists}}|
| [[Party of European Socialists]]
| {{flagu|Italy}}
|-
! Jul–Dec
| [[Jacques Santer]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|European People's Party}}|
| [[European People's Party]]
| {{flagu|Luxembourg}}
|-
! rowspan=2 | 1986
! Jan–Jun
| [[Ruud Lubbers]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|European People's Party}}|
| [[European People's Party]]
| {{flagu|Netherlands}}
|-
! Jul–Dec
| [[Margaret Thatcher]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Independent politician}}|
| [[Independent (politician)|Independent]] 
| {{flagu|United Kingdom}}
|-
! rowspan=2 | 1987
! Jan–Jun
| [[Wilfried Martens]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|European People's Party}}|
| [[European People's Party]]
| {{flagu|Belgium}}
|-
! Jul–Dec
| [[Poul Schlüter]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|European People's Party}}|
| [[European People's Party]]
| {{flagu|Denmark}}
|-
! rowspan=2 | 1988
! Jan–Jun
| [[Helmut Kohl]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|European People's Party}}|
| [[European People's Party]]
| {{flagu|West Germany}}
|-
! Jul–Dec
| [[Andreas Papandreou]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Party of European Socialists}}|
| [[Party of European Socialists]]
| {{flagu|Greece}}
|-
! rowspan=2 | 1989
! Jan–Jun
| [[Felipe González]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Party of European Socialists}}|
| [[Party of European Socialists]]
| {{flagu|Spain}}
|-
! Jul–Dec
| [[François Mitterrand]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Party of European Socialists}}|
| [[Party of European Socialists]]
| {{flagu|France}}
|-
! rowspan=2 | 1990
! Jan–Jun
| [[Charles Haughey]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|European Democratic Alliance}}|
| [[European Democratic Alliance]]
| {{flagu|Ireland}}
|-
! Jul–Dec
| [[Giulio Andreotti]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|European People's Party}}|
| [[European People's Party]]
| {{flagu|Italy}}
|-
! rowspan=2 | 1991
! Jan–Jun
| [[Jacques Santer]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|European People's Party}}|
| [[European People's Party]]
| {{flagu|Luxembourg}}
|-
! Jul–Dec
| [[Ruud Lubbers]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|European People's Party}}|
| [[European People's Party]]
| {{flagu|Netherlands}}
|-
! rowspan=2 | 1992
! Jan–Jun
| [[Aníbal Cavaco Silva]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party}}|
| [[European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party]]
| {{flagu|Portugal}}
|-
! Jul–Dec
| [[John Major]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Independent politician}}|
| [[Independent (politician)|Independent]]
| {{flagu|United Kingdom}}
|-
! rowspan=3 | 1993
! Jan
| [[Poul Schlüter]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|European People's Party}}|
| [[European People's Party]]
| rowspan=2 | {{flagu|Denmark}}
|-
! Jan–Jun
| [[Poul Nyrup Rasmussen]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Party of European Socialists}}|
| [[Party of European Socialists]]
|-
! Jul–Dec
| [[Jean-Luc Dehaene]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|European People's Party}}|
| [[European People's Party]]
| {{flagu|Belgium}}
|-
! rowspan=2 | 1994
! Jan–Jun
| [[Andreas Papandreou]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Party of European Socialists}}|
| [[Party of European Socialists]]
| {{flagu|Greece}}
|-
! Jul–Dec
| [[Helmut Kohl]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|European People's Party}}|
| [[European People's Party]]
| {{flagu|Germany}}
|-
! rowspan=3 | 1995
! Jan–May
| [[François Mitterrand]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Party of European Socialists}}|
| [[Party of European Socialists]]
| rowspan=2 | {{flagu|France}}
|-
! May–Jun
| [[Jacques Chirac]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Independent politician}}|
| [[Independent (politician)|Independent]]
|-
! Jul–Dec
| [[Felipe González]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Party of European Socialists}}|
| [[Party of European Socialists]]
| {{flagu|Spain}}
|-
! rowspan=3 | 1996
! Jan–May
| [[Lamberto Dini]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party}}|
| [[Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party|European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party]]
| rowspan=2 | {{flagu|Italy}}
|-
! May–Jun
| [[Romano Prodi]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party}}|
| [[Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party|European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party]]
|-
! Jul–Dec
| [[John Bruton]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|European People's Party}}|
| [[European People's Party]]
| {{flagu|Ireland}}
|-
! rowspan=2 | 1997
! Jan–Jun
| [[Wim Kok]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Party of European Socialists}}|
| [[Party of European Socialists]]
| {{flagu|Netherlands}}
|-
! Jul–Dec
| [[Jean-Claude Juncker]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|European People's Party}}|
| [[European People's Party]]
| {{flagu|Luxembourg}}
|-
! rowspan=2 | 1998
! Jan–Jun
| [[Tony Blair]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Party of European Socialists}}|
| [[Party of European Socialists]]
| {{flagu|United Kingdom}}
|-
! Jul–Dec
| [[Viktor Klima]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Party of European Socialists}}|
| [[Party of European Socialists]]
| {{flagu|Austria}}
|-
! rowspan=2 | 1999
! Jan–Jun
| [[Gerhard Schröder]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Party of European Socialists}}|
| [[Party of European Socialists]]
| {{flagu|Germany}}
|-
! Jul–Dec
| [[Paavo Lipponen]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Party of European Socialists}}|
| [[Party of European Socialists]]
| {{flagu|Finland}}
|-
! rowspan=2|2000
! Jan–Jun
| [[António Guterres]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Party of European Socialists}}|
| [[Party of European Socialists]]
| {{flagu|Portugal}}
|-
! Jul–Dec
| [[Jacques Chirac]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|European People's Party}}|
| [[European People's Party]]
| {{flagu|France}}
|-
! rowspan=2|2001
! Jan–Jun
| [[Göran Persson]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Party of European Socialists}}|
| [[Party of European Socialists]]
| {{flagu|Sweden}}
|-
! Jul–Dec
| [[Guy Verhofstadt]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party}}|
| [[Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party|European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party]]
| {{flagu|Belgium}}
|-
! rowspan=2|2002
! Jan–Jun
| [[José María Aznar]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|European People's Party}}|
| [[European People's Party]]
| {{flagu|Spain}}
|-
! Jul–Dec
| [[Anders Fogh Rasmussen]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party}}|
| [[Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party|European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party]]
| {{flagu|Denmark}}
|-
! rowspan=2|2003
! Jan–Jun
| [[Costas Simitis]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Party of European Socialists}}|
| [[Party of European Socialists]]
| {{flagu|Greece}}
|-
! Jul–Dec
| [[Silvio Berlusconi]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|European People's Party}}|
| [[European People's Party]]
| {{flagu|Italy}}
|-
! rowspan=2|2004
! Jan–Jun
| [[Bertie Ahern]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Union for Europe of the Nations}}|
| [[Union for Europe of the Nations]]
| {{flagu|Ireland}}
|-
! Jul–Dec
| [[Jan Peter Balkenende]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|European People's Party}}|
| [[European People's Party]]
| {{flagu|Netherlands}}
|-
! rowspan=2|2005
! Jan–Jun
| [[Jean-Claude Juncker]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|European People's Party}}|
| [[European People's Party]]
| {{flagu|Luxembourg}}
|-
! Jul–Dec
| [[Tony Blair]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Party of European Socialists}}|
| [[Party of European Socialists]]
| {{flagu|United Kingdom}}
|-
! rowspan=2|2006
! Jan–Jun
| [[Wolfgang Schüssel]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|European People's Party}}|
| [[European People's Party]]
| {{flagu|Austria}}
|-
! Jul–Dec
| [[Matti Vanhanen]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party}}|
| [[Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party|European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party]]
| {{flagu|Finland}}
|-
! rowspan=2|2007
! Jan–Jun
| [[Angela Merkel]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|European People's Party}}|
| [[European People's Party]]
| {{flagu|Germany}}
|-
! Jul–Dec
| [[José Sócrates]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Party of European Socialists}}|
| [[Party of European Socialists]]
| {{flagu|Portugal}}
|-
! rowspan=2|2008
! Jan–Jun
| [[Janez Janša]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|European People's Party}}|
| [[European People's Party]]
| {{flagu|Slovenia}}
|-
! Jul–Dec
| [[Nicolas Sarkozy]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|European People's Party}}|
| [[European People's Party]]
| {{flagu|France}}
|-
! rowspan=3|2009
! Jan–May
| [[Mirek Topolánek]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Alliance of European Conservatives and Reformists}}|
| [[Alliance of Conservatives and Reformists in Europe|Alliance of European Conservatives and Reformists]]
| rowspan=2 |{{flagu|Czech Republic}}
|-
! May–Jun
| [[Jan Fischer (politician)|Jan Fischer]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Independent politician}}|
| [[Independent (politician)|Independent]]
|-
! Jul–Nov
| [[Fredrik Reinfeldt]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|European People's Party}}|
| [[European People's Party]]
| {{flagu|Sweden}} 
|}

===Permanent presidents===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; style="width=90%"
|-
! width=1%|N.
! width=10%|Portrait
! width=15%|President<br>{{small|(Born–Died)}}
! width=8%|State
! width=12%|Took office
! width=12%|Left office
! width=8%|Party
! widht=15% colspan=2|European party
! width=5% |Refs

|- style="height:10em;"
!rowspan=2| 1
|rowspan=2| [[File:Herman Van Rompuy 675 (cropped).jpg|130px]]
|rowspan=2| '''[[Herman Van Rompuy]]'''<br /><small>(born 1947)</small>
|rowspan=2| {{flag|Belgium}}
|1 December<br>2009
|30 November<br>2014
|rowspan=2| [[Christen-Democratisch en Vlaams|CD&V]]
!rowspan=2 style="background:{{party color|European People's Party}};" |
|rowspan=2| [[European People's Party]]
|rowspan=2| <ref>[https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/european-council/former-euco-presidents/former-president-herman-van-rompuy/ Former President of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy], ''European Council''</ref>
|- style="height:4em;"
|colspan=2 bgcolor=#EEEEEE|5 years

|- style="height:10em;"
!rowspan=2| 2
|rowspan=2| [[File:Tusk EuCo Pres 2014 (cropped).jpg|130px]]
|rowspan=2| '''[[Donald Tusk]]'''<br /><small>(born 1957)</small>
|rowspan=2| {{flag|Poland}}
|1 December<br>2014
|30 November<br>2019
|rowspan=2| [[Civic Platform|PO]]
!rowspan=2 style="background:{{party color|European People's Party}};" |
|rowspan=2| [[European People's Party]]
|rowspan=2| <ref>[https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/european-council/former-euco-presidents/summary-of-donald-tusk-presidency/ Former President of the European Council, Donald Tusk], ''European Council''</ref>
|- style="height:4em;"
|colspan=2 bgcolor=#EEEEEE| 5 years

|- style="height:10em;"
!rowspan=2| 3
|rowspan=2| [[File:Charles Michel 2019 (cropped).jpg|130px]]
|rowspan=2| '''[[Charles Michel]]'''<br /><small>(born 1975)</small>
|rowspan=2| {{flag|Belgium}}
|1 December<br>2019
|30 November<br>2024
|rowspan=2| [[Mouvement Réformateur|MR]]
!rowspan=2 style="background:{{party color|Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe}};" |
|rowspan=2| [[Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe]]
|rowspan=2| <ref>[https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/european-council/president/ Charles Michel, President of the European Council], ''European Council''</ref>
|- style="height:4em;"
|colspan=2 bgcolor=#EEEEEE| 5 years

|- style="height:10em;"
!rowspan=2| 4
|rowspan=2| [[File:Antonio Costa Portrait 2024 (cropped).jpg|130px]]
|rowspan=2| '''[[António Costa]]'''<br /><small>(born 1961)</small>
|rowspan=2| {{flag|Portugal}}
|1 December<br>2024
|''Incumbent''
|rowspan=2| [[Socialist Party (Portugal)|PS]]
!rowspan=2 style="background:{{party color|Party of European Socialists}};" |
|rowspan=2| [[Party of European Socialists]]
|rowspan=2| <ref> [https://www.politico.eu/article/von-der-leyen-costa-and-kallas-bag-eu-top-jobs/ Von der Leyen, Costa and Kallas bag EU top jobs], ''Politico''</ref>
|- style="height:4em;"
|colspan=2 bgcolor=#EEEEEE| {{age in years and days|2024|12|1}}
|}

==== Timeline ====
{{#tag:timeline|
ImageSize  = width:700 height:auto barincrement:18
PlotArea   = top:10 bottom:80 right:130 left:20
AlignBars  = late

Define $today = {{#time:d/m/Y}}

DateFormat=dd/mm/yyyy
Period     = from:01/12/2009 till:$today
TimeAxis   = orientation:horizontal
ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:2 start:2010
ScaleMinor = unit:year increment:1 start:2010

Legend     = columns:1 left:150 top:24 columnwidth:90

TextData =
  pos:(20,27) textcolor:black fontsize:M
  text:"Political party:"

Colors     =
  id:EPP     value:rgb(0.200,0.600,0.999)           legend:EPP
  id:ALDE    value:rgb(0.999,0.840,0.000)           legend:ALDE
  id:PES     value:rgb(0.941,0.000,0.110)           legend:PES

 
BarData =
  bar:VanRompuy
  bar:Tusk
  bar:Michel
  bar:Costa

PlotData=
  width:5 align:left fontsize:S shift:(5,-4) anchor:till
 bar:VanRompuy
  from: 01/12/2009       till: 30/11/2014       color:EPP       text:"[[Herman Van Rompuy|Van Rompuy]]"
 bar:Tusk
  from: 01/12/2014       till: 30/11/2019       color:EPP       text:"[[Donald Tusk|Tusk]]"
 bar:Michel
  from: 01/12/2019       till: 30/11/2024       color:ALDE      text:"[[Charles Michel|Michel]]"
 bar:Costa
  from: 01/12/2024       till: end              color:PES       text:"[[António Costa|Costa]]"
}}

==See also==
*[[List of presidents of EU institutions]]
**[[President of the European Parliament]]
**[[President of the European Commission]]
**[[Presidency of the Council of the European Union]]
*[[President of the European Union]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/european-council/president/ Official Website]
{{Presidents of the European Council}}
{{European Council}}
{{List of Current Heads of State of G20}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:President Of The European Council}}
[[Category:2009 establishments in the European Union]]
[[Category:Presidents of the European Council| ]]
[[Category:Political offices of the European Union]]