The Thorn Commission was the European Commission that held office from 6 January 1981 until 5 January 1985. Its President was Gaston Thorn.
The European Commission (EC) is the executive branch of the European Union, responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the EU treaties and managing the day-to-day business of the EU. Commissioners swear an oath at the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg City, pledging to respect the treaties and to be completely independent in carrying out their duties during their mandate. The Commissioners are proposed by the Council of the European Union, on the basis of suggestions made by the national governments, and then appointed by the European Council after the approval of the European Parliament. It is common, although not a formal requirement, that the commissioners have previously held senior political positions, such as being a member of the European Parliament or a government minister.
The President of the European Commission is the head of the European Commission, the executive branch of the European Union. The President of the Commission leads a cabinet of Commissioners, referred to as the college, collectively accountable to the European Parliament. The President is empowered to allocate portfolios amongst, reshuffle or dismiss Commissioners as necessary. The college directs the Commission's civil service, sets the policy agenda and determines the legislative proposals it produces.
Gaston Egmond Thorn was a Luxembourg politician who served in a number of high-profile positions, both domestically and internationally. Amongst the posts that he held were the 19th Prime Minister of Luxembourg (1974–79), President of the United Nations General Assembly (1975), and the seventh President of the European Commission (1981–85).
It was the successor to the Jenkins Commission and was succeeded by the Delors Commission. With a current economic crisis, it had to speed up enlargement to Greece, Spain and Portugal while making steps towards the Single European Act in 1985.However, with a period of eurosclerosis , due to economic problems and British vetoing over the Community budget, Thorn was unable to exert his influence to any significant extent.
The Jenkins Commission was the European Commission that held office from 6 January 1977 to 6 January 1981. Its President was Roy Jenkins.
The Delors Commission was the administration of Jacques Delors, the eighth President of the European Commission. Delors presided over the European Commission for three terms. The first term lasted from 1985 to 1988, the second until 1992 and the final one until 1994, making Delors the longest serving president, and his Commission is also seen as the most successful at advancing European integration. It was the only Commission to serve three times, and Delors served five two-year terms. The third Commission was the first Commission of the European Union, the Maastricht Treaty having come into force in 1993.
The European Union (EU) has expanded a number of times throughout its history by way of the accession of new member states to the Union. To join the EU, a state needs to fulfil economic and political conditions called the Copenhagen criteria, which require a stable democratic government that respects the rule of law, and its corresponding freedoms and institutions. According to the Maastricht Treaty, each current member state and the European Parliament must agree to any enlargement. The process of enlargement is sometimes referred to as European integration. This term is also used to refer to the intensification of co-operation between EU member states as national governments allow for the gradual harmonisation of national laws.
|President (Secretariat-General, Legal Service, Spokesman’s Group, Culture and Security Office)||Gaston Thorn|
| Vice-President |
Economic and Financial Credit and Investments
| Vice-President |
External Relations (Nuclear Affairs)
| Vice-President |
Mediterranean Policy, Enlargement and Information
| Vice-President |
Industrial Affairs, Energy, Research and Science (Euratom Supply Agency and the Joint Research Centre)
| Vice-President |
Budget and Financial Control, Financial Institutions and Taxation
|Regional Policy (Coordination of Community Funds)||Antonio Giolitti|
|Transport, Fisheries and Tourism||Giorgios Contogeorgis|
|Internal Market, Industrial Innovation, Customs Union, the Environment, Consumer Protection and Nuclear Safety||Karl-Heinz Narjes|
|Parliamentary Relations and Competition||Frans Andriessen|
|Employment and Social Affairs (Tripartite Conference and Education Training)||Ivor Richard|
|Agriculture||Finn Olav Gundelach (Died 13 January 1981)|
|Agriculture||Poul Dalsager (From 20 January 1981)|
|Personnel and Administration (Mandate of 30 May 1980, Joint Interpreting and Conference Service, Statistical Office, Office for Official Publications)||Michael O'Kennedy (Resigned 3 March 1982)|
|Personnel and Administration (Mandate of 30 May 1980, Joint Interpreting and Conference Service, Statistical Office, Office for Official Publications)||Richard Burke (From 1 April 1982)|
|Development||Claude Cheysson (Resigned 23 April 1981)|
|Development||Edgard Pisani (From 26 May 1981; Resigned 3 December 1984)|
The colour of the row indicates the approximate political leaning of the office holder using the following scheme:
|Affiliation||No. of Commissioners|
|Right leaning / Conservative||6|
|Left leaning / Socialist||4|
|Unknown / Independent||6|
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