Find out more about one of the most powerful posts in the EU. How is the President of the European Commission chosen and to whom is he accountable?

How it works: President of the European Commission

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It's one of the great rituals of the Union.  Almost every Wednesday,

the President of the Commission  convenes his Commissioners

on the 13th floor of his headquarters,  the Berlaymont, in Brussels,

close to the European Council  and the European Parliament.

Each week the President  of the Commission

judges his Commissioners' proposals  for legislation,

which will often have a direct impact  on 500 million Europeans,

after negotiation  between MEPs and Member States.

Since the nomination  of Walter Hallstein in 1958,

José Manuel Barroso  is the 12th President

since the creation of the EEC,  the forerunner of the European Union.

It was under the Presidency of  Jacques Delors between 1985 and 1995

that the post became really presidential.

But not just anyone can be  the Commission President.

First a candidate must be officially  nominated by the Member States,

a decision made in the secrecy  of the European Council's meetings.

That said, heads of state must now take  into account European election results

The European Parliament holds  not insignificant power

in the appointment of the Commission  President and his college.

The European Commission has  a strong democratic legitimacy,

because we are nominated  by the Council,

where the democratic governments  of Europe are represented

and then I'm elected  by the European Parliament.

Parliament as king-maker,  but it can also censure

In 1999, after an administrative scandal  and fearing the censure of MEPs,

President Jacques Santer  finally made public

Once in power, the Commission holds  a much-envied level of power.

It's the only EU institution  which can propose legislation.

But the President is obliged to listen  to complaints from all sides.

Of course, we are not living in a vacuum.

I'm always in contact  with the European Parliament,

but I'm also in contact with  the governments, with the prime ministers,

because the Commission President  is a member of the European Council.

Guardian of EU treaties and guarantor  of the respect and application of laws,

the Commission President also holds  considerable budgetary power.

A sum of over 132 billion euros per year,

75% of which is jointly managed  with the Member States

and annually controlled by the Parliament.

As the embodiment of European power,  the Commission President

is a key figure on the international stage.

He must now share that power with  the Presidents of two other EU institutions,

which are the Parliament  and the European Council.