The nine Members of the ECSC High Authority at their inaugural meeting in Luxembourg on 10 August 1952. From left to right: Paul Finet (BE), Léon Daum (FR), Enzo Giacchero (IT), Franz Etzel (DE), Jean Monnet (FR), Albert Coppé (BE), Dirk Spierenburg (NL), Albert Wehrer (LU) and Heinz Potthoff (DE).

Appointed by the Six at the Conference held in Messina, Italy, in June 1955, the Frenchman, René Meyer, succeeds his compatriot, Jean Monnet, who resigned in late 1954, as President of the High Authority of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), seen here at a conference in Luxembourg.

Meeting of the Commission of the European Economic Community (EEC) chaired by Walter Hallstein, Commission President from 10 January 1958 to 6 July 1967.

Meeting of the Commission of the European Communities under the presidency of Jean Rey, in office from 6 July 1967 to 30 June 1970.

Meeting of the Commission of the European Communities under the presidency of Franco Maria Malfatti, in office from 22 March 1970 to 21 March 1972.

Meeting of the Commission of the European Communities under the presidency of Sicco Mansholt, in office from 22 March 1972 to 5 January 1973.

Meeting of the Commission of the European Communities under the presidency of François Xavier Ortoli, in office from 6 January 1973 to 5 January 1977.

Meeting of the Commission of the European Communities under the presidency of Roy Jenkins, in office from 1977 to 1981.

Meeting of the Commission of the European Communities under the presidency of Gaston Thorn, in office from 6 January 1981 to 5 January 1985.

Meeting of the Commission of the European Communities presided by Jacques Delors, in office from 7 January 1985 to 5 January 1989.

Meeting of the Commission of the European Communities presided over for the second time by Jacques Delors, in office from 6 January 1989 to 5 January 1993.

Meeting of the European Commission presided over for the third time by Jacques Delors, in office from 6 January 1993 to 22 January 1995.

Meeting of the European Commission under the presidency of Jacques Santer, in office from 23 January 1995 to 15 September 1999.

Meeting of the European Commission chaired by its President, Romano Prodi, in office from 16 September 1999 to 21 November 2004.

Meeting of the European Commission under the presidency of José Manuel Barroso, in office since 22 November 2004.

An example of a week's activities carried out by the Commission in accordance with its duties.

On 31 January 2001 the European Commission adopted the work programme for the year 2001.

On 30 October 2002, the European Commission adopted the legislative and work programme for the year 2003.

On 29 October 2003, the European Commission adopted the legislative and work programme for the year 2004.

During the month of February, the European Commission adopts its Annual Policy Strategy, setting the framework for the budgetary and legislative cycle of the coming year, with a view to presenting it to the European Parliament and the Council and to undertaking a dialogue over the following three months. On the basis of the results of this dialogue and the budgetary process, the Commission adopts its Legislative and Work Programme for the coming year.