The
President of the European Commission is the head of the
European Commission (the executive branch of the ) and therefore the most powerful officeholder in the EU, (loosely) analogous to the role of a country's
Prime-Minister /
Head of Government (as opposed to the separate role of
President of the European Council, who could be seen as the European Union's
Head of State) – although, unlike a national
head of government, the President of the Commission does not determine foreign policy, command troops or raise taxes. The President of the Commission is responsible for allocating portfolios to members of the Commission and can reshuffle or dismiss them if needed. They determine the Commission's policy agenda and all the legislative proposals it produces (the Commission is the only body that can propose
EU laws).