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 eight Vice-Presidents.

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.
Since the 2009 Lisbon Treaty entered into force, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy is ex officio one of the Vice-Presidents. The other Vice-Presidents are appointed at the discretion of the Commission President.
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.

First Vice-President

The First Vice-President usually takes on the main role of a vice president: taking over from the President in their absence. Frans Timmermans is the incumbent First Vice-President having served in the position since 2014 in both the Juncker and von der Leyen Commissions.
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.

Executive Vice-President

The von der Leyen Commission established a new position of Executive Vice-President. There are three Executive Vice-Presidents, one of whom is the First Vice-President, who in addition to their other roles also manage a policy area, with a specific Directorate-General under their authority for this part of their job.

Historical Vice-Presidents

Legend: – –
CommissionEntered officeLeft officeNameStateParty
Hallstein I-----
Hallstein I7 January 19589 January 1962Sicco MansholtPvdA
Hallstein I7 January 19589 January 1962Robert MarjolinSFIO
Hallstein I7 January 195815 September 1959Piero MalvestitiDC
Hallstein II-----
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
Rey-----
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
Malfatti-----
Malfatti1 July 197021 March 1972Sicco MansholtPvdA
Malfatti1 July 197021 March 1972Wilhelm HaferkampSPD
Mansholt-----
Mansholt22 March 19725 January 1973Wilhelm HaferkampSPD
Ortoli-----
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
Jenkins-----
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 I-----
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 II-----
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 III-----
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
Santer-----
Santer23 January 199513 September 1999Leon BrittanCon.
Santer23 January 199519 July 1999Manuel MarínPSOE
Prodi-----
Prodi16 September 199921 November 2004Neil KinnockLabour
Prodi16 September 199921 November 2004Loyola de PalacioPP
Barroso I-----
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 II-----
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
Juncker-----
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-----
von der Leyen1 December 2019presentFrans TimmermansPvdA
von der Leyen1 December 2019presentMargrethe Vestager'RV
von der Leyen1 December 2019presentValdis Dombrovskis'Unity
von der Leyen1 December 2019presentJosep BorrellPSOE
von der Leyen1 December 2019presentMaroš ŠefčovičSmer-SD
von der Leyen1 December 2019presentVěra JourováANO
von der Leyen1 December 2019presentDubravka ŠuicaHDZ
von der Leyen1 December 2019presentMargaritis SchinasND