The EU has long had Commission Presidents who never had British interests at heart
Which nationalities have run the EU Commission for the longest?
Montage © Facts4EU.Org 2024
Spoiler alert : The UK is at the bottom of the pile, as usual
With the incumbent EU Commission President having been appointed to a second term on Thursday last week, Facts4EU.Org looks at which nationalities have dominated the choice of arguably the most powerful executive position in the bloc since the UK joined, up to the end of Ursula von der Leyen’s second term, which lasts until the end of 2029.
On 01 January 1973, the UK joined what was then known as “the Common Market”. The EEC grew from its original six founding countries to nine, with Ireland and Denmark joining at the same time as the UK. The precursor to the EU then became nine. Subsequent enlargements took the membership up to 28, with Brexit then taking it back down to its current 27.
Brexit Facts4EU.Org Summary
Which nationalities have run the EU Commission for the longest?
Duration of mandates, from the UK’s 1973 accession
up to the end of Ursula von der Leyen’s second term, in days
- French : 5127
- Luxembourger : 4825
- German : 3650
- Portuguese : 3629
- Italian : 1891
- British : 1460
[Source : EU Commission.]
© Brexit Facts4EU.Org 2024 - click to enlarge
[Note: We have included Ursula von der Leyen’s second mandated term, and have excluded a Spaniard who was briefly and temporarily acting president, as he did not have the full status.]
The UK is in last place - again
It must surely come as no surprise that Frenchmen have topped our table, while the UK came last. The UK’s sole EU Commission President was the former Labour minister and Europhile, Roy Jenkins, 43 years ago.
He served for four years, from 1977-1981. It was under his stewardship that the European Monetary System was developed, which became the forerunner to the creation of the Euro.
The late Lord Jenkins was in turns an MP for the Labour Party, the Social Democratic Party (SDP), and the Liberal Democrats. Whilst with the Labour Party he held the offices of Chancellor of the Exchequer and Home Secretary under the Wilson and Callaghan Governments.
Tiny Luxembourg has had three EU Commission Presidents in the time the UK has had just one
Luxembourg is a tiny country surrounded by Belgium, Germany, and France. It’s population is only 672,050, putting it on a par with a British city such as Bristol. The cities of Sheffield, Newcastle, Glasgow, Manchester, Birmingham, and of course London are far larger. The UK’s population in total is more than 100 times greater than that of Luxembourg.
Despite this, tiny Luxembourg has had three of its nationals running the EU as Commission President, whilst the UK has had only one. In total, Luxembourgers have run the EU Commission for more than three times longer than has a Briton.
The most notorious Luxembourger Commission President for most British people was Jean-Claude Juncker, who infamously announced in an obvious fit of pique on the morning after the UK’s EU Referendum : “This will not be an amicable divorce.”
He then proceeded to be as difficult and unpleasant as he possibly could until he handed this mantle to Ursula von der Leyen.
Observations
The above gives yet another example of how the EU has been run by people from countries with vastly different needs, agendas, and perspectives to those of the British.
This unique snapshot is intended to give some indication of why the UK’s best interests were never served by being a member of the European Union.
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[ Sources: EU Parliament | EU Commission ] Politicians and journalists can contact us for details, as ever.
Brexit Facts4EU.Org, Thurs 25 Jul 2024
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