President of the European Council facts for kids

Quick facts for kids President of the European Council
Flag of Europe
Emblem of European Council
Incumbent António Costa since 1 December 2024
European Council
Style	President
Member of	European Council (non-voting)
Residence	Europa building
Seat	Brussels, Belgium
Appointer	European Council by qualified majority
Term length	2.5 years, renewable once
Constituting instrument	Treaties of the European Union
Precursor	Chairman of the European Council
Formation	1 December 2009
First holder	Herman Van Rompuy

The President of the European Council is a very important leader in the European Union (EU). This person leads and guides the work of the European Council. The European Council is a group made up of the leaders (like presidents or prime ministers) from all the EU countries. It also includes the President of the European Commission. This group helps set the main political direction for the entire European Union.

Before 2009, the job of leading the European Council was not a full-time role. It was held by the leader of the country that was currently in charge of the presidency of the Council of the European Union. This job changed every six months.

However, things changed with the Treaty of Lisbon in 2007. This treaty created a full-time President for the European Council. This President serves for two and a half years and can be chosen again once. To choose or remove the President, most of the European Council members must agree.

On November 19, 2009, Herman Van Rompuy, who was then the Prime Minister of Belgium, became the first full-time President. He started his job on December 1, 2009, when the Lisbon Treaty began. He served two terms, ending on November 30, 2014.

After him, Donald Tusk, the former Prime Minister of Poland, took over. He served from December 1, 2014, to November 30, 2019.

Then, Charles Michel, another former Prime Minister of Belgium, became President on December 1, 2019. He served until November 30, 2024. Now, António Costa is the current President, starting on December 1, 2024.

How the European Council President Role Developed

Early Meetings of European Leaders

The first time leaders of European countries met was in 1961. These meetings were informal, like friendly chats. In 1974, the French President, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, made these meetings official. He called them the "European Council."

When the European Union was formed in 1993, the European Council's leadership rotated. The leader of the country holding the EU Council presidency would also lead the European Council. This changed every six months.

Creating a Permanent President Role

The idea for a full-time, longer-term leader for the European Council came from the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe. Even though this Constitution was not fully approved, the idea for a permanent President was kept in the Treaty of Lisbon. This new system started on December 1, 2009.

People had different ideas about what this new President's job would be like. Some thought the President would mostly manage meetings and keep things running smoothly. Others hoped the President would be a strong voice for the EU on the world stage. The choice of Herman Van Rompuy suggested a preference for a more administrative role at first.

There were good reasons for having a permanent President. With the old system, a new leader took charge every six months. These leaders were also busy running their own countries. This made it hard for them to prepare for EU meetings. Also, when they represented the EU at big global meetings, they were often representing their own country too. A full-time President avoids these problems.

First Full-Time President: Herman Van Rompuy

On November 19, 2009, Herman Van Rompuy, who was the Prime Minister of Belgium, was chosen as the first full-time President of the European Council. All 27 EU leaders agreed on his appointment.

The British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, said Van Rompuy was good at bringing people together. Van Rompuy himself said he would listen to everyone's interests. He believed that unity was strength, but diversity was also important.

His first meeting as President was informal. It was held to discuss Europe's economic problems. However, it quickly focused on the Greek economic crisis.

What Does the President Do?

Before 2009: Rotating Leader

Before 2009, the leader of the European Council was the head of state or government of the country holding the rotating EU presidency. This meant a new leader every six months.

This leader was seen as "first among equals" among other European leaders. They represented the European Council to the outside world. They also reported to the European Parliament after meetings.

After 2009: Permanent Role

President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy during a visit to the Paranal Observatory.

The President's job is mainly political. They prepare for European Council meetings and lead them. They try to help members agree on decisions. After each meeting, they report to the European Parliament.

The President also represents the EU on the world stage, especially for foreign policy. However, there can be some confusion about who does what. This is because the President of the European Commission and the High Representative also have roles in foreign policy.

Some people worried that the President might not have enough staff or resources. They also wondered if the President might become a "play ball" between EU leaders without their own department.

Ukrainian ambassador to the EU, Andriy Veselovsky, explained the roles simply. He said the president of the European Commission is like the EU's "government." The new President of the European Council is like a "strategist." The High Representative handles "relations with other countries." The European Commissioner for Enlargement deals with technical things. Meanwhile, the president of the European Parliament speaks for the EU's values.

The European Council President also gained more influence in financial policy. The rotating presidency lost some power in this area.

Benefits and Privileges of the Job

The President of the European Council gets a salary similar to the President of the European Commission. This is about €24,874.62 per month, plus other allowances.

The President also gets a car with a driver and about 20 staff members. They receive money for housing instead of an official home. The idea of a private jet was also rejected. These decisions were made to avoid making the job seem too powerful or causing rivalry with the Commission President.

The President's Office

Even though the European Council is a separate EU institution, it does not have its own administration. The General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union provides support for both the European Council and its President.

However, the President does have their own private office, called a cabinet. This cabinet is made up of close advisors. For example, Herman Van Rompuy chose Frans van Daele, a former ambassador, as his first chief of staff.

How the President is Chosen

Election Process

The President of the European Council is chosen by the members of the European Council. They vote using a special system called a "reinforced qualified majority." The President serves for two and a half years and can be re-elected once.

The Treaty on European Union (TEU) explains the President's duties. It is the heads of state or government of the EU countries who vote for this position.

Some people have wondered if the President should be elected directly by citizens. This would give the President more public support and make the role stronger. However, this could also cause conflict with the European Parliament or the Commission.

Working with the European Commission

There used to be some confusion and competition between the President of the European Council and the President of the European Commission. This was because the treaty's language was not very clear.

Some people saw the European Council President as the "strategist" and the Commission President as the "head of government." In economic policy, the Council President would handle the overall plan, and the Commission would carry it out. Even though they had weekly breakfasts, there was some rivalry between the two roles.

The treaty allows one person to hold both the European Council President and European Commission President roles. This would create a single, powerful presidential position for the EU. However, some countries might not want such a high-profile position.

If the jobs are not combined, some worry about "cohabitation" and disagreements between the two offices. The Council President has prestige but less formal power. The Commission President has power but less prestige. This problem could grow if the Council President gained more public support through direct elections.

List of Presidents of the European Council

Rotating presidency (before 2009)

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

Permanent presidents (since 2009)

N.	Portrait	President (Born–Died)	State	Took office	Left office	Party	European party		Refs
1		Herman Van Rompuy (born 1947)	Belgium	1 December 2009	30 November 2014	CD&V		European People's Party
				5 years
2		Donald Tusk (born 1957)	Poland	1 December 2014	30 November 2019	PO		European People's Party
				5 years
3		Charles Michel (born 1975)	Belgium	1 December 2019	30 November 2024	MR		Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe
				5 years
4		António Costa (born 1961)	Portugal	1 December 2024	Incumbent	PS		Party of European Socialists
				203 days

Timeline of Presidents

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