Celebration of the 50th anniversary of the European Commission and the 120th anniversary of Jean Monnet's birth., Brussels - Main contents
| date | November 7, 2008 |
|---|---|
| city | Brussels, Belgium |
| location | Berlaymontgebouw  |
| attending | S.L. (Sicco) Mansholt i, R. (Romano) Prodi i, J.O.M.G. (Jean) Monnet i, W. (Walter) Hallstein i, J. (Jean) Rey i, H.-G. (Hans-Gert) Pöttering i, G.E. (Gaston) Thorn i, J.L.J. (Jacques) Delors i, N.P.S. (Nicolas) Sarkozy i, F.X. (François-Xavier) Ortoli i, R.H. (Roy) Jenkins i, J. (Jacques) Santer i et al. |
| organisation | European Commission (EC) i |
213220412">Friday 7 November: Celebration of the 50th anniversary of the European Commission and the 120th anniversary of Jean Monnet's birth.
A commemorative ceremony will be organised at the Berlaymont building to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the European Commission and the 120th anniversary of Jean Monnet's birth.
The conference room of the College of Commissioners in Berlaymont will be named "Jean Monnet" and to mark the occasion a plaque will be unveiled by the President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso, in the presence of the French President and current President of the European Council Nicolas Sarkozy and the President of the European Parliament, Hans-Gert Pöttering.
This celebration of the Commission's history will precede the informal meeting at the Council of the heads of State and government preparing the international summit on the financial crisis planned on 15th November in Washington.
Jean Monnet, who was born on 9th November 1888 in Cognac and passed away on 16th March 1979 in Bazoches-sur-Guyonne in the Yvelines, was the first President of the High Authority of the Coal and Steel Community. The High Authority was the predecessor of the European Commission. Jean Monnet was also Deputy Secretary General of the League of Nations. He is one of the "Founding Fathers" of the European project. He is buried in the Panthéon in Paris.
José Manuel Barroso is the 11th President of the European Commission. His predecessor are: Walter Hallstein (1958-1967), Jean Rey (1967-1970), Franco Malfatti (1970-1972), Sicco Mansholt (1972-1973), François-Xavier Ortoli (1973-1977), Roy Jenkins (1977-1981), Gaston Thorn (1981-1985), Jacques Delors (1985-1995), Jacques Santer (1995-1999) et Romano Prodi (1999-2004).
Ceremony at the Berlaymont in Brussels
-
•Photo & video coverage by EbS
Introduction of the former Presidents of the European Commission:
http://ec.europa.eu/commission_barroso/president/history/index_fr.htm
Website of President Barroso:
http://ec.europa.eu/commission_barroso/president/index_fr.htm
-
•Archives : I-049708 Former President of the EC from 1958 to 2004
Leonor Ribeiro Da Silva +32 2 298 8155 leonor.ribeiro-da-silva@ec.europa.eu
Kristyna Hamrikova +32 2 298 6980 kristyna.hamrikova@ec.europa.eu
The European Commission is the executive body of the EU and runs its day-to-day business. It is made up of the College of Commissioners, 27 European Commissioners, one for each member state, who are each responsible for one or several policy areas. In addition, the 'Commission' also refers to the entire administrative body that supports the Commissioners, consisting of the Directorates-General and the Services.
The European Commission is the sole EU body capable of proposing new legislation. The Commission also performs an oversight function, monitoring whether European legislation is properly implemented in the member states. In the event of non-compliance, the Commission can coerce a member state to comply by starting a legal procedure at the European Court of Justice.