Jacques Santer (born 18 May 1937) was Prime Minister of Luxembourg from 20 July 1984 to 26 January 1995 (succeeding Pierre Werner and preceding Jean-Claude Juncker), and President of the European Commission from 25 January 1995 to 15 March 1999 (succeeding Jacques Delors and preceding Manuel Marin).
Biography[]
Jacques Santer was born in Wasserbillig, Luxembourg in 1937, and he studied in Strasbourg and Paris, where he received a doctorate, and he worked as a lawyer. He became the secretary to the parliamentary group of the Christian Social People's Party in 1966, and advanced to being a Minister of State in 1972. In 1974, he became a member of the Luxembourg Parliament and of the European Parliament, of which he was one of the vice-presidents from 1975 to 1979. In 1979, he became the Minister of Labor in Luxembourg, and in 1984 he was elected Prime Minister. He was also president of the Christian democratic European People's Party, the second largest party in the European Parliament, from 1987 to 1990. On 23 January 1995 he succeeded Jacques Delors as President of the European Commission. Although he was seen especially by the British as more moderate on the question of European integration than his predecessor, he continued to press ahead with plans for monetary union, albeit in a more conciliatory manner.