Secretary-General of the Council of the European Union

The secretary-general of the Council of the European Union heads the General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union. In October 2022, the Council appointed Thérèse Blanchet[1] as the Secretary-General of the Council for a five-year term, from 1 November 2022 to 31 October 2027.

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Previously, the post holder was also the High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy,[2] President of the European Defence Agency[3] and the Western European Union.[4] The Treaty of Amsterdam, which entered into force in 1999, created the office of the High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy and specified that the Secretary-General would occupy that position simultaneously. Javier Solana exercised both functions from 1999 until 2009. The Lisbon Treaty, which took effect on 1 December 2009, redefined the post of High Representative and again separated it from the office of Secretary-General of the Council.

As of 2010, the secretary-general's basic pay is equal to that of a top-tier civil servant: €17,697.68 per month.[5][6]