Gaston Thorn

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Gaston Egmond Thorn

In office
1974-06-15 – 1979-07-16
Preceded by Pierre Werner
Succeeded by Pierre Werner

In office
12 January 1981 – 1985
Preceded by Roy Jenkins
Succeeded by Jacques Delors

Born 1928-09-03
Luxembourg City
Political party Democratic Party

Gaston Egmond Thorn (born September 3, 1928), Luxembourg politician, was President of the European Commission, the executive body of the European Community, from 1981 to 1985.

Thorn was born in the city of Luxembourg. While still at school he engaged in resistance activities during the German occupation, and spent several months in prison. After the war he studied law in Montpellier, Lausanne and Paris, and practised law in Luxembourg before entering politics in 1959, representing the liberal Democratic Party. He was Chairman of the Democratic Party from 1961.

Thorn was Foreign Minister and Foreign Trade Minister of Luxembourg from 1969 to 1980, Prime Minister from 1974 to 1979 and Minister of Economics from 1977 to 1980. He was also a member of the European Parliament from 1959 to 1969, and President of the United Nations General Assembly from 1975 to 1976.

In 1980 Thorn was chosen as President of the Commission of the European Communities (now called the European Union), in succession to Roy Jenkins. He took office on January 12, 1981. He was seen as very close to the President of France, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, and generally as a defender of French interests in European politics.

Although Thorn was not considered a very forceful Commission President, during his term of office the Commission continued to expand its power, both at the expense of the national governments of EC members, and of the European Parliament, with which the Commission engaged in a constant power struggle. In this Thorn laid the groundwork for his successor Jacques Delors, who took the Commission to the height of its power.

After leaving the Commission Presidency in 1985, Thorn went into business. He was chairman of Luxembourg's largest media company and is currently president of the Banque Internationale de Luxembourg.

Thorn has remained active in international and political affairs, as President of the International European Movement and as a member of the Trilateral Commission and of the Jean Monnet Committee. He has also been president of the Liberal International, a grouping of liberal political parties, and is now this organisation's President of Honour. He is married to Liliane Thorn-Petit, a journalist.

Political offices
Preceded by
Pierre Grégoire
Minister for Foreign Affairs
19691980
Succeeded by
Colette Flesch
Preceded by
Pierre Werner
Prime Minister of Luxembourg
19741979
Succeeded by
Pierre Werner
Preceded by
Abdelaziz Bouteflika
President of the United Nations General Assembly
19751976
Succeeded by
Hamilton Shirley Amerasinghe
Preceded by
Roy Jenkins
President of the European Commission
19801985
Succeeded by
Jacques Delors
Party Political Offices
Preceded by
Lucien Dury
President of the DP (first time)
19621969
Succeeded by
René Konen
Preceded by
René Konen
President of the DP (second time)
19711980
Succeeded by
Colette Flesch


Flag of Luxembourg Prime Ministers of Luxembourg Flag of Luxembourg
Gaspard-Théodore-Ignace de la FontaineJean-Jacques WillmarCharles-Mathias SimonsBaron de Tornaco
Emmanuel ServaisBaron de BlochausenÉdouard ThilgesPaul EyschenMathias MongenastHubert Loutsch
Victor ThornLéon KauffmannÉmile ReuterPierre PrümJoseph BechPierre DupongJoseph Bech
Pierre FriedenPierre WernerGaston ThornPierre WernerJacques SanterJean-Claude Juncker