Santer, Jacques (1937-…), a former prime minister of Luxembourg, served as president of the European Commission from 1995 to 1999. The European Commission is the executive branch of the European Union. In 1999, Santer was accused of mismanagement of the Commission, and the commissioners were charged with fraud and favoritism. A team of experts chosen by the European Parliament led an investigation into the matter. The experts’ report supported the charges of fraud and negligence. In response to the report, Santer and all 19 ministers resigned from the Commission on March 16, 1999. Santer was replaced by former Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi. For more information, see European Union (EU) .
Jacques Santer was born on May 18, 1937, in Wasserbillig, Luxembourg. He studied law at the universities of Strasbourg and Paris and later attended the Paris Institute of Political Studies.
A member of the Christian Social Party, Santer first won election to the European Parliament in 1975. He served as Luxembourg’s minister of finance, labor, and social security from 1979 to 1984. In 1984, he was elected Luxembourg’s prime minister, a post he held until 1994.
