Vice-President of the European Commission


A Vice-President of the European Commission is a member of the European Commission who leads the commission's work in particular focus areas in which multiple European Commissioners participate.
Currently, the European Commission has a total of six Vice-Presidents: five Executive-Vice Presidents, and the High Representative who is ex officio one of the Vice-Presidents as well.

Role and benefits

The role of Vice-President of the European Commission may be bestowed on any European Commissioner in addition to their existing portfolio. Vice-Presidents are appointed by the President of the European Commission and confirmed by the European Parliament.
Since the 2009 Lisbon Treaty, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy is automatically and permanently one of the Vice-Presidents by virtue of their position as High Representative. This means they are not appointed as Vice-President as such, and the appointment procedure to the position of High Representative is different from that of the Commissioners.
Commission salaries are set as a percentage of the top civil service grade. Vice-Presidents are paid at 125%, in comparison to 112.5% for normal Commissioners and 138% for the President. However, the vice-president who also serves as the High Representative is paid at 130%. There are further allowances on top of these figures.

Executive Vice-President

The von der Leyen Commission established a new position of Executive Vice-President. There are three Executive Vice-Presidents, each appointed from one of the three largest political groups in the European Parliament. In addition to their 'regular' role as Commissioner, they also manage a broader and horizontal policy area involving the coordination of multiple Commissioners. Unlike the other Vice-Presidents, Executive Vice-Presidents are assigned a specific Directorate-General under their authority for this part of their job and their policy areas are considered the top priorities of the incumbent European Commission.
Between 2004 and 2019, the position of First Vice-President existed instead. The main role of this position was that of a vice president in the narrow sense: taking over from the President in their absence. The position was established under the Barroso I Commission in 2004, with its first occupant being Margot Wallström. She was succeeded in the second Barroso Commission by Catherine Ashton who was also the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. The last First Vice-President was Frans Timmermans as part of the Juncker Commission, who subsequently became one of three Executive Vice-Presidents in 2019.

List of vice-presidents

Legend: – –
CommissionEntered officeLeft officeNameStateParty
Hallstein I7 January 19589 January 1962Sicco MansholtPvdA
Hallstein I7 January 19589 January 1962Robert MarjolinSFIO
Hallstein I7 January 195815 September 1959Piero MalvestitiDC
Hallstein II10 January 196230 June 1967Sicco MansholtPvdA
Hallstein II10 January 196230 June 1967Robert MarjolinSFIO
Hallstein II10 January 196215 May 1963Giuseppe CaronDC
Hallstein II30 July 196530 June 1967Lionello SandriPSI
Rey2 July 196730 June 1970Sicco MansholtPvdA
Rey2 July 196730 June 1970Lionello SandriPSI
Rey2 July 196730 June 1970Fritz HellwigCDU
Rey2 July 196730 June 1970Raymond BarreUDF
Rey2 July 196730 June 1970Wilhelm HaferkampSPD
Malfatti1 July 197021 March 1972Sicco MansholtPvdA
Malfatti1 July 197021 March 1972Wilhelm HaferkampSPD
Mansholt22 March 19725 January 1973Wilhelm HaferkampSPD
Ortoli6 January 19735 January 1977Patrick HilleryFF
Ortoli6 January 19735 January 1977Wilhelm HaferkampSPD
Ortoli6 January 19735 January 1977Henri SimonetPS
Ortoli6 January 19735 January 1977Christopher SoamesCon.
Ortoli6 January 19735 January 1977Carlo Scarascia-MugnozzaDC
Jenkins6 January 19775 January 1981Wilhelm HaferkampSPD
Jenkins6 January 19775 January 1981Henk VredelingPvdA
Jenkins6 January 19775 January 1981Finn Olav GundelachSD
Jenkins6 January 19775 January 1981François-Xavier OrtoliRPR
Jenkins6 January 19775 January 1981Lorenzo NataliDC
Thorn
Thorn6 January 19815 January 1985Christopher TugendhatCon.
Thorn6 January 19815 January 1985François-Xavier OrtoliRPR
Delors I6 January 19855 January 1989Frans AndriessenCDA
Delors I6 January 19855 January 1989Arthur CockfieldCon.
Delors I6 January 19855 January 1989Karl-Heinz NarjesCDU
Delors I6 January 19855 January 1989Lorenzo NataliDC
Delors I5 January 19865 January 1989Manuel MarínPSOE
Delors II6 January 19895 January 1993Frans AndriessenCDA
Delors II6 January 19895 January 1993Leon BrittanCon.
Delors II6 January 19895 January 1993Henning ChristophersenVenstre
Delors II6 January 19895 January 1993Manuel MarínPSOE
Delors II6 January 19895 January 1993Filippo Maria PandolfiDC
Delors III6 January 199322 January 1995Martin BangemannFDP
Delors III6 January 199322 January 1995Leon BrittanCon.
Delors III6 January 199322 January 1995Henning ChristophersenVenstre
Delors III6 January 199322 January 1995Manuel MarínPSOE
Delors III6 January 199322 January 1995Karel Van MiertSp.a
Delors III6 January 199322 January 1995Antonio RubertiPSI
Santer23 January 199513 September 1999Leon BrittanCon.
Santer23 January 199519 July 1999Manuel MarínPSOE
Prodi16 September 199921 November 2004Neil KinnockLabour
Prodi16 September 199921 November 2004Loyola de PalacioPP
Barroso I22 November 20049 February 2010Margot Wallström'SAP
Barroso I22 November 20049 February 2010Günter VerheugenPSD
Barroso I22 November 20049 February 2010Jacques BarrotUMP
Barroso I22 November 20049 February 2010Siim KallasERP
Barroso I22 November 20048 May 2008Franco FrattiniFI
Barroso I9 May 20089 February 2010Antonio TajaniFI
Barroso II9 February 201031 October 2014Catherine Ashton'Labour
Barroso II9 February 20101 July 2014Viviane RedingCSV
Barroso II9 February 201031 October 2014Joaquín AlmuniaPSOE
Barroso II9 February 201031 October 2014Siim KallasERP
Barroso II9 February 201031 October 2014Neelie KroesVVD
Barroso II9 February 20101 July 2014Antonio TajaniPDL
Barroso II9 February 201031 October 2014Maroš ŠefčovičSmer
Barroso II27 October 20111 July 2014Olli RehnSK
Barroso II1 July 201431 October 2014Michel BarnierUMP
Barroso II1 July 201431 October 2014Günther OettingerCDU
Barroso II16 July 201431 October 2014Jyrki KatainenKOK
Juncker1 November 201430 November 2019Frans Timmermans'PvdA
Juncker1 November 201430 November 2019Federica MogheriniPD
Juncker1 November 201431 December 2016Kristalina GeorgievaGERB
Juncker1 November 201430 November 2019Jyrki KatainenKOK
Juncker1 November 201430 November 2019Valdis DombrovskisUnity
Juncker1 November 20141 July 2019Andrus AnsipERP
Juncker1 November 201430 November 2019Maroš ŠefčovičSmer-SD
Von der Leyen I1 December 201922 August 2023Frans Timmermans'PvdA
Von der Leyen I1 December 201930 November 2024Margrethe Vestager'RV
Von der Leyen I1 December 201930 November 2024Valdis Dombrovskis'Unity
Von der Leyen I1 December 201930 November 2024Maroš ŠefčovičSmer-SD
Von der Leyen I1 December 201930 November 2024Josep BorrellPSOE
Von der Leyen I1 December 201930 November 2024Věra JourováANO
Von der Leyen I1 December 201930 November 2024Dubravka ŠuicaHDZ
Von der Leyen I1 December 201930 November 2024Margaritis SchinasND
Von der Leyen II
Von der Leyen II1 December 2024presentTeresa RiberaPSOE
Von der Leyen II1 December 2024presentKaja KallasER
Von der Leyen II1 December 2024presentHenna VirkkunenKok
Von der Leyen II1 December 2024presentStéphane SéjournéRE
Von der Leyen II1 December 2024presentRaffaele FittoFdI
Von der Leyen II1 December 2024presentRoxana MînzatuPSD

  • First Vice-Presidents are in italics''.
  • Executive Vice-Presidents are in bold.