The 3 main institutions of the EU are each headed by a president.
Term: January 2017 - July 2019
Elected by: Members of the European Parliament
Role:
More on the President of the European Parliament's job
More on the European Parliament
Term: June 2017 - November 2019
Appointed by: national leaders (heads of state or government of EU countries).
Role:
More on the President of the European Council's job
More on the European Council
Term: November 2014 - October 2019
Appointed by: national leaders (heads of state or government of EU countries), with the approval of the European Parliament.
Role:
More on the Commission President's job
More on the European Commission
More on how Commissioners are appointed
The Council of the EU - where national ministers discuss EU legislation - doesn't have a permanent, single-person president. Its work is led by the country holding the Council presidency, which rotates every 6 months. For example, representatives from the presidency country chair its meetings.
Through its Spitzenkandidaten process, Europe has brought EU Commission presidency elections out from behind closed doors, placing power in the hands of citizens.
You've probably seen the President of the European Parliament on the news, but people always want to know more about the role. How does someone even become President? What are the President's responsibilities? How does the presidential elections relate to your vote?