thumb|The three presidents (December 2024): [[President of the European Council|of the European Council (António Costa), of the European Parliament (Roberta Metsola), and of the European Commission (Ursula von der Leyen), meeting in Brussels.]]

The presidents of the European Union consist of the following persons in charge of three separate European Union institutions:

  • the president of the European Council (since 1 December 2024, António Costa)
  • the president of the European Commission (since 1 December 2019, Ursula von der Leyen)
  • the president of the European Parliament (since 11 January 2022, Roberta Metsola)

Alongside these the Council of the European Union (also known as the Council of Ministers or simply "the Council") containing 27 national ministers, one of each nation, rotates its presidency by country. This presidency is held by a country, not a person; meetings are chaired by the minister from the country holding the presidency (depending on the topic, or "configuration"), except for the Foreign Affairs Council (one so-called "configuration" of the Council of the EU), which is usually chaired by the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. The presidency of the Council of the European Union has been held by Cyprus since 1 January 2026.

According to protocol, it is the president of the Parliament who comes first, as it is listed first in the treaties. However, on the world stage, the principal representative of the EU is considered to be the president of the European Council, but the president of the European Commission, as head of the executive branch of the European Union, takes part in the G7 and other international summits as well.

During the height of the Commission president's powers in the late-1980s and 1990s, the Commission president was sometimes described in the media as "the Union's Prime Minister". Use of the term "President" in this sense is not unusual in Europe; for comparison, the title for the Prime Minister of Spain in Spanish is the Presidente del Gobierno ("President of the Government"), not Prime Minister.

Election

The presidents of each institution are chosen in a slightly different way;

  • The president of the European Parliament is elected from among MEPs for a 2.5-year, renewable term.

Roles

thumb|400px|Organigram of the political system of the European Union, showing three presidents of the European Union

Whilst distinct, each president is required to closely co-operate with one another in a complex political system. Under the ordinary legislative procedure of the European Union, the Commission proposes legislation with the Parliament and Council of the European Union coming to a co-decision on amendments and adoption of the law. The president of each of these organs is generally held responsible their functioning and direction.

President of the European Council

The president of the European Council is considered the principal representative of the EU internationally and diplomatically.