Jacques Santer

Jacques Santer
22nd Prime Minister of Luxembourg
In office 20 July 1984 – 5 January 1995
Monarch	Jean
Preceded by	Pierre Werner
Succeeded by	Jean-Claude Juncker
9th President of the European Commission
In office 1995 – 15 March 1999
Preceded by	Jacques Delors
Succeeded by	Manuel Marín
3rd President of the European People's Party
In office 1987–1990
Preceded by	Piet Bukman
Succeeded by	Wilfried Martens
Personal details
Born	18 May 1937 Wasserbillig
Nationality	Luxembourgian
Political party	Christian Social People's Party
Religion	Roman Catholic

Jacques Santer (born 18 May 1937 in Wasserbillig) is a Luxembourg politician.

He was finance minister of Luxembourg from 1979 until 1989, and the 22nd Prime Minister of Luxembourg from 1984 to 1995, as a member of the Christian Social People's Party, which has been the leading party in the Luxembourg government since 1979. As Prime Minister of Luxembourg he also led the negotiations on the Single European Act, which effectively set aside the 20-year old Luxembourg Compromise.

The euro was introduced as common currency in most member states. (De Silguy and Santer displaying the €1 coin in 1998)

Santer became the ninth President of the European Commission in 1995 as a compromise choice between the United Kingdom and a Franco-German alliance, after the Franco-German nominee Jean-Luc Dehaene was vetoed by British prime minister John Major. Santer selection was barely ratified by a European Parliament upset with the process for which Commission presidents are selected.

In the same year, 1995, Santer became the first recipient of the Vision for Europe Award.

Allegations of corruption concerning individual EU-commissioners led to an investigation into administrative failings (incompetence and malpractice) by an independent group of experts. Despite clearing most commissioners, the report stated that they had not found a single person showing the slightest sense of responsibility. Because the implicated commissioners refused to resign and because the President of the European Commission did not have the power to dismiss individual commissioners, Santer and his entire commission resigned on 15 March 1999, the very day of the report's publication (see Santer Commission: Resignation).

From 1999 until 2004, Santer was a member of the European Parliament. He also was on General Mediterranean Holdings' board, a financial holding owned by Anglo-Iraqi Nadhmi Auchi.

He is currently President of Group Europe, a member section of the Union of European Federalists.

On Monday 23 January 2012, Jacques Santer was appointed to to head the board of the Special Purpose Investment Vehicle (SPIV), which is designed to boost the firepower of the EFSF, the eurozone rescue fund.

See also

• Santer-Poos Ministry I
• Santer-Poos Ministry II
• Santer-Poos Ministry III
• Santer Commission

References

Political offices
Preceded by Jacques Poos	Minister for Finances 1979–1989	Succeeded by Jean-Claude Juncker
Preceded by Pierre Werner	Prime Minister of Luxembourg 1984–1995	Succeeded by Jean-Claude Juncker
Preceded by Jacques Delors	President of the European Commission 1995–1999	Succeeded by Manuel Marín
Party political offices
Preceded by Nicolas Mosar	President of the CSV 1974–1982	Succeeded by Jean Spautz