List of members of the European Council
From Wikipedia the free encyclopedia
The European Council (informally EUCO) is a collegiate body that defines the overall political direction and priorities of the European Union.[1]
Established as an informal summit in 1975, the European Council was formalised as an institution in 2009 upon the commencement of the Treaty of Lisbon. Its current president is Charles Michel, a former Prime Minister of Belgium.
Membership
[edit]The European Council is composed of the heads of state or government of the EU member states, the President of the European Council, and the President of the European Commission.[1]
The representative of each member state depends on its political system. A member of the European Council is usually the highest representative of the executive branch of government. Cyprus, France, Lithuania, and Romania have presidential or semi-presidential systems and are represented by their head of state (president). The other member states have parliamentary systems and are represented by their head of government (prime minister).
Current members
[edit]| State | Member[2] | Affiliation[3] | Member since | Time as member | Elections | Next election | Share of population [a][4] | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 European Union | .jpg) President of the European Council Charles Michel | Renew – MR | 1 December 2019 | 9 years, 257 days[b] | 2022 2019 | 2024 | — | Non-voting member | |
European Union | _2019.07.16._Ursula_von_der_Leyen_presents_her_vision_to_MEPs_2_(cropped).jpg) President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen | EPP – CDU | 1 December 2019 | 4 years, 241 days | 2019 | 2024 | — | Non-voting member | |
 Republic of Austria | _(cropped)_(cropped).jpg) Chancellor Karl Nehammer | EPP – ÖVP | 6 December 2021 | 2 years, 236 days | 2019 | 2024 | 1.99% | Head of government | |
 Kingdom of Belgium | ._Arrivals_Alexander_De_Croo_(36766610160)_(cropped2).jpg) Prime Minister Alexander De Croo | Renew – Open Vld | 1 October 2020 | 3 years, 302 days | 2019 | 2024 | 2.58% | Head of government | |
 Republic of Bulgaria |  Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev | Independent | 9 April 2024 | 111 days | — | 2024 | 1.55% | Head of government | |
 Republic of Croatia |  Prime Minister Andrej Plenković | EPP – HDZ | 19 October 2016 | 7 years, 284 days | 2024 2020 2016 | 2028 | 0.90% | Head of government | |
 Republic of Cyprus |  President Nikos Christodoulides | Independent | 28 February 2023 | 1 year, 152 days | 2023 | 2028 | 0.20% | Head of state and head of government | |
 Czech Republic |  Prime Minister Petr Fiala | ECR – ODS | 17 December 2021 | 2 years, 225 days | 2021 | 2025 | 2.36% | Head of government | |
 Denmark | _(cropped).jpg) Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen | S&D – S | 27 June 2019 | 5 years, 32 days | 2022 2019 | 2026 | 1.30% | Head of government | |
 Republic of Estonia |  Prime Minister Kristen Michal | Renew – ER | 23 July 2024 | 6 days | 2023 | 2027 | 0.30% | Head of government | |
 Republic of Finland | .jpg) Prime Minister Petteri Orpo | EPP – Kok. | 20 June 2023 | 1 year, 39 days | 2023 | 2027 | 1.24% | Head of government | |
 French Republic | .jpg) President Emmanuel Macron | Renew – RE | 14 May 2017 | 7 years, 76 days | 2022 2017 | 2027 | 15.07% | Head of state | |
 Federal Republic of Germany |  Chancellor Olaf Scholz | S&D – SPD | 8 December 2021 | 2 years, 234 days | 2021 | 2025 | 18.57% | Head of government | |
 Hellenic Republic | _(cropped).jpg) Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis | EPP – ND | 26 June 2023 | 4 years, 354 days[c] | 2023 (Jun) 2023 (May) 2019 | 2027 | 2.39% | Head of government | |
 Hungary |  Prime Minister Viktor Orbán | PfE – Fidesz | 29 May 2010 | 14 years, 61 days | 2022 2018 2014 2010 | 2026 | 2.17% | Between July and December 2024, Viktor Orbán is the head of government of the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union. | |
 Ireland | .jpg) Taoiseach Simon Harris | EPP – FG | 9 April 2024 | 111 days | 2020 | 2025 | 1.12% | Head of government | |
 Italian Republic |  Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni | ECR – FdI | 22 October 2022 | 1 year, 281 days | 2022 | 2027 | 13.38% | Head of government | |
 Republic of Latvia | .jpg) Prime Minister Evika Siliņa | EPP – V | 15 September 2023 | 318 days | 2022 | 2026 | 0.42% | Head of government | |
 Republic of Lithuania |  President Gitanas Nausėda | Independent | 12 July 2019 | 5 years, 17 days | 2024 2019 | 2029 | 0.62% | Head of state | |
 Grand Duchy of Luxembourg | .jpg) Prime Minister Luc Frieden | EPP – CSV | 17 November 2023 | 255 days | 2023 | 2028 | 0.14% | Head of government | |
 Republic of Malta | .jpg) Prime Minister Robert Abela | S&D – PL | 13 January 2020 | 4 years, 198 days | 2022 | 2027 | 0.12% | Head of government | |
 Netherlands | .jpg) Prime Minister Dick Schoof | Independent | 2 July 2024 | 27 days | 2023 | 2027 | 3.94% | Head of government | |
 Republic of Poland | _(cropped2).jpg) Prime Minister Donald Tusk | EPP – PO | 13 December 2023 | 12 years, 173 days[d] | 2023 | 2027 | 8.45% | Head of government | |
 Portuguese Republic |  Prime Minister Luís Montenegro | EPP – PSD | 2 April 2024 | 118 days | 2024 | 2028 | 2.30% | Head of government | |
 Romania | .JPG) President Klaus Iohannis | EPP – PNL | 21 December 2014 | 9 years, 221 days | 2019 2014 | 2024 | 4.29% | Head of state Membership in PNL is formally suspended while in office. Klaus Iohannis, however, still regularly attends EPP pre-European Council meetings.[3] | |
 Slovak Republic |  Prime Minister Robert Fico | Una. – Smer–SD | 25 October 2023 | 10 years, 269 days[e] | 2023 | 2027 | 1.22% | Head of government | |
 Republic of Slovenia | .jpg) Prime Minister Robert Golob | Renew – GS | 1 June 2022 | 2 years, 58 days | 2022 | 2026 | 0.47% | Head of government | |
 Kingdom of Spain | .jpg) Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez | S&D – PSOE | 2 June 2018 | 6 years, 57 days | 2023 2019 (Nov) 2019 (Apr) 2016 | 2027 | 10.59% | Head of government | |
 Kingdom of Sweden | .jpg) Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson | EPP – M | 18 October 2022 | 1 year, 285 days | 2022 | 2026 | 2.32% | Head of government | |
Timeline of membership
[edit]
Longest-serving members of the European Council
[edit]| # | Member | Position | State | Membership | Last affiliation | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jean-Claude Juncker | Prime Minister |  Luxembourg | 20 January 1995 – 4 December 2013 | 18 years, 318 days | EPP | |
| Commission President |  European Union | 1 November 2014 – 30 November 2019 | 5 years, 29 days | ||||
| 23 years, 337 days | |||||||
| 2 | Helmut Kohl | Chancellor |  Germany | 1 October 1982 – 27 October 1998 | 16 years, 26 days | EPP | |
| 3 | Angela Merkel | Chancellor | Germany | 22 November 2005 – 8 December 2021 | 16 years, 16 days | EPP | |
| 4 | Jacques Santer | Prime Minister | Luxembourg | 20 July 1984 – 26 January 1995 | 10 years, 190 days | EPP | |
| Commission President | European Union | 25 January 1995 – 15 March 1999 | 4 years, 49 days | ||||
| 14 years, 238 days | |||||||
| 5 | Viktor Orbán | Prime Minister |  Hungary | 29 May 2010 – present | 14 years, 61 days | PfE | |
| 6 | François Mitterrand | President |  France | 21 May 1981 – 17 May 1995 | 13 years, 361 days | S&D | |
| 7 | Mark Rutte | Prime Minister |  Netherlands | 14 October 2010 – 2 July 2024 | 13 years, 262 days | Renew | |
| 8 | Donald Tusk | Prime Minister |  Poland | 16 November 2007 – 22 September 2014 | 6 years, 310 days | EPP | |
| Council President | European Union | 1 December 2014 – 30 November 2019 | 4 years, 364 days | ||||
| Prime Minister | Poland | 13 December 2023 – present | 229 days | ||||
| 12 years, 173 days | |||||||
| 9 | Wilfried Martens | Prime Minister |  Belgium | 3 March 1979 – 6 April 1981 | 2 years, 34 days | EPP | |
| 17 December 1981 – 7 March 1992 | 10 years, 81 days | ||||||
| 12 years, 115 days | |||||||
| 10 | José Manuel Barroso | Prime Minister |  Portugal | 6 April 2002 – 17 July 2004 | 2 years, 102 days | EPP | |
| Commission President | European Union | 22 November 2004 – 31 October 2014 | 9 years, 343 days | ||||
| 12 years, 111 days | |||||||
| 11 | Jacques Chirac | President | France | 17 May 1995 – 16 May 2007 | 11 years, 364 days | EPP | |
| 12 | Ruud Lubbers | Prime Minister | Netherlands | 4 November 1982 – 22 August 1994 | 11 years, 291 days | EPP | |
| 13 | Margaret Thatcher | Prime Minister |  United Kingdom | 4 May 1979 – 28 November 1990 | 11 years, 208 days | ECR | |
| 14 | Bertie Ahern | Taoiseach |  Ireland | 26 June 1997 – 7 May 2008 | 10 years, 316 days | ECR | |
| 15 | Robert Fico | Prime Minister |  Slovakia | 4 July 2006 – 8 July 2010 | 4 years, 4 days | Una. | |
| 4 April 2012 – 22 March 2018 | 5 years, 352 days | ||||||
| 25 October 2023 – present | 278 days | ||||||
| 10 years, 269 days | |||||||
| 16 | Göran Persson | Prime Minister |  Sweden | 22 March 1996 – 6 October 2006 | 10 years, 198 days | S&D | |
| 17 | Poul Schlüter | Prime Minister |  Denmark | 10 September 1982 – 25 January 1993 | 10 years, 137 days | EPP | |
| 18 | Felipe González | Prime Minister |  Spain | 1 January 1986 – 5 May 1996 | 10 years, 125 days | S&D | |
| 19 | Tony Blair | Prime Minister | United Kingdom | 2 May 1997 – 27 June 2007 | 10 years, 56 days | S&D | |
| 20 | Jacques Delors | Commission President | European Union | 7 January 1985 – 24 January 1995 | 10 years, 17 days | S&D | |
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^ Used for qualified majority voting in the Council.
- ^ Michel had already been a member of the Council from October 2014 to October 2019 as Prime Minister of Belgium.
- ^ Mitsotakis had already been Prime Minister, and therefore a member of the Council, from July 2019 to May 2023.
- ^ Tusk had already been a member of the Council from November 2007 to September 2014 as Prime Minister, and from December 2014 to November 2019 as its President.
- ^ Fico had already been Prime Minister, and therefore a member of the Council, from July 2006 to July 2010 and from April 2012 to March 2018.
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Consolidated versions of the Treaty on European Union and the Treaty on the functioning of the European Union" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 August 2017. Retrieved 2 December 2009.
- ^ "Members of the European Council". www.consilium.europa.eu. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
- ^ a b "Current membership of the European Council". Retrieved 19 April 2024.
- ^ Council Decision (EU, Euratom) 2021/2320 of 22 December 2021 amending the Council's Rules of Procedure (Decision 2021/2320). Council of the European Union. 22 December 2021.