Jacques Blanc, First President of the Committee of the Regions

During their inaugural session, the members of the Committee of the Regions elect the President and the First Vice-President of the body. The candidates, following an initiative by the mayor of Barcelona, Pasqual Maragall, jointly decide and put in writing that for the first two years of the four-year term, the Presidency will be held by a representative of the regions and the Vice-Presidency by a representative of the local authorities. These positions will alternate during the subsequent two-year period. Based on the above, Jacques Blanc is elected as the first President and Pasqual Maragall as the First Vice-President.