Jacques Santer

Jacques Louis Santer (born 18 May 1937) is a Luxembourgish politician who served as president of the European Commission from 1995 to 1999 before resigning amidst allegations of corruption. He served as the finance minister of Luxembourg from 1979 until 1989, and as prime minister of Luxembourg from 1984 to 1995, as a member of the Christian Social People's Party (CSV), which was the leading party in the Luxembourgish government between 1979 and 2013. 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.

Career Santer graduated in 1959 from Sciences Po, before receiving his doctorate in law from the University of Strasbourg in 1961. From 1972 to 1974 he was a junior minister in the Luxembourgish government. From 1979 to 1984 he was Minister of Finance, Minister for Work and Minister for Social Security, under Pierre Werner, in the coalition government between the Christian Social People's Party (CSV) and the liberal Democratic Party. The organisation was active since its creation by the then prime minister Pierre Werner in 1959 and was organised by the secret service of Luxembourg, the Service de Renseignement de l'Etat (SREL) and coordinated by the NATO.

Presidency of the European Commission

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's 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 a so-called Committee of Independent 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 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. As the Commission would only have lasted for half a year from then, he was replaced by Vice-President Manuel Marín on an interim basis.

Later career

In the October 1999 communal elections, Santer was the CSV's candidate for Mayor of Luxembourg City, with a promise to make the city attractive and "family-friendly". He was unsuccessful, as the DP, headed by incumbent mayor Paul Helminger, remained the largest party on the city's communal council, and chose to keep his seat at the European Parliament, to which he had been elected in June of that year. He remained an MEP until 2004.

He also was on General Mediterranean Holdings' board, a financial holding owned by Anglo-Iraqi Nadhmi Auchi.

In January 2012, Santer was appointed to head the board of the Special Purpose Investment Vehicle (SPIV), which was designed to boost the firepower of the European Financial Stability Facility, the eurozone rescue fund.

In May 2013, Santer became an Honorary Member of SME Europe, the official pro-business organisation of the European People's Party.

Honours Grand Cross of the Order of the Falcon (1990) Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun (2015) Grand Cross of the Order of the Oak Crown Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg Golden Medal for Merit to Culture – Gloria Artis (2008) Grand Cross of the Order of Prince Henry (1990) Grand Cross of the Military Order of Christ (1988) Grand Cross of the National Order of Faithful Service (2004) Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (26 October 1973)