2003 in Europe

This is a list of events in 2003 that occurred in Europe.

Incumbents

• Albania
  • President – Alfred Moisiu, President of Albania (2002–2007)
  • Prime Minister – Fatos Nano, Prime Minister of Albania (2002–2005)
• Andorra
  • Monarchs –
    • French Co-Prince – Jacques Chirac, French Co-prince of Andorra (1995–2007)
      • Co-Prince's Representative – Philippe Massoni (2002–2007)
    • Episcopal Co-Prince –
  • Joan Martí i Alanis, Episcopal Co-prince of Andorra (1970–2003)
  • Joan Enric Vives i Sicília, Episcopal Co-prince of Andorra (2003–2025)
    • • Co-Prince's Representative – Nemesi Marqués Oste (1993–2012)
  • Prime Minister – Marc Forné Molné, Head of Government of Andorra (1994–2005)
• Armenia
  • President – Robert Kocharyan, President of Armenia (1998–2008)
  • Prime Minister – Andranik Margaryan, Prime Minister of Armenia (2000–2007)
• Austria
  • President – Thomas Klestil, Federal President of Austria (1992–2004)
  • Chancellor – Wolfgang Schüssel, Federal Chancellor of Austria (2000–2007)
• Azerbaijan
  • President –
    1. Heydar Aliyev, President of Azerbaijan (1993–2003)
    2. Ilham Aliyev, President of Azerbaijan (2003–present)
  • Prime Minister –
    1. Artur Rasizade, Prime Minister of Azerbaijan (1996–2003)
    2. Ilham Aliyev, Prime Minister of Azerbaijan (2003)
    3. Artur Rasizade, Prime Minister of Azerbaijan (2003–2018)
  • Nagorno-Karabakh (unrecognised, secessionist state)
    • President – Arkadi Ghukasyan, President of Nagorno-Karabakh (1997–2007)
    • Prime Minister – Anushavan Danielyan, Prime Minister of Nagorno-Karabakh (1999–2007)
• Belarus
  • President – Alexander Lukashenko, President of Belarus (1994–present)
  • Prime Minister – Gennady Novitsky, Prime Minister of Belarus (2001–2004)
• Belgium
  • Monarch – Albert II, King of the Belgians (1993–2013)
  • Prime Minister – Guy Verhofstadt, Prime Minister of Belgium (1999–2008)
• Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Head of State – Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina
    • Serb Member –
    1. Mirko Šarović (2002–2003; Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina)
    2. Borislav Paravac (2003–2006; Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina)
    • Bosniak Member – Sulejman Tihić (2002–2006; Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2004)
    • Croat Member – Dragan Čović (2002–2005, Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2003–2004)
  • Prime Minister – Adnan Terzić, Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina (2002–2007)
  • High Representative – Lord (Paddy) Ashdown, High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina (2002–2006)
• Bulgaria
  • President – Georgi Parvanov, President of Bulgaria (2002–2012)
  • Prime Minister – Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, Prime Minister of Bulgaria (2001–2005)
• Croatia
  • President – Stjepan Mesić, President of Croatia (2000–2010)
  • Prime Minister – Ivica Račan, Prime Minister of Croatia (2000–2003)
• Cyprus
  • President –
    1. Glafcos Clerides, President of Cyprus (1993–2003)
    2. Tassos Papadopoulos, President of Cyprus (2003–2008)
  • Northern Cyprus (unrecognised, secessionist state)
    • President – Rauf Denktaş, President of Northern Cyprus (1976–2005)
    • Prime Minister – Derviş Eroğlu, Prime Minister of Northern Cyprus (1996–2004)
• Czech Republic
  • President –
    1. Václav Havel, President of the Czech Republic (1993–2003)
    2. Václav Klaus, President of the Czech Republic (2003–2013)
  • Prime Minister – Vladimír Špidla, Prime Minister of the Czech Republic (2002–2004)
• Denmark
  • Monarch – Margrethe II, Queen of Denmark (1972–2024)
  • Prime Minister – Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Prime Minister of Denmark (2001–2009)
• Estonia
  • President – Arnold Rüütel, President of Estonia (2001–2006)
  • Prime Minister – Siim Kallas, Prime Minister of Estonia (2002–2004)
• European Union
  • European Union
• President of the European Commission: Romano Prodi (1999–2004)
• President of the Parliament:
  • Nicole Fontaine (until 16 January)
  • Pat Cox (starting 16 January)
• President of the European Council:
  • Jose Maria Aznar (January–June)
  • Anders Fogh Rasmussen (July–December)
• Presidency of the Council of the EU:
  • Spain (January–July)
  • Denmark (July–December)
• Finland
  • President – Tarja Halonen, President of Finland (2000–2012)
  • Prime Minister –
    1. Paavo Lipponen, Prime Minister of Finland (1995–2003)
    2. Anneli Jäätteenmäki, Prime Minister of Finland (2003)
    3. Matti Vanhanen, Prime Minister of Finland (2003–2010)
• France
  • President – Jacques Chirac, President of France (1995–2007)
  • Prime Minister – Jean-Pierre Raffarin, Prime Minister of France (2002–2005)
• Georgia
  • President –
    1. Eduard Shevardnadze, Acting President of Georgia (1995–2003)
    2. Nino Burjanadze, Acting President of Georgia (2003–2004)
  • Abkhazia (unrecognised, secessionist state)
    • President – Vladislav Ardzinba, President of Abkhazia (1990–2005)  ^[a]
    • Prime Minister –
      1. Gennadi Gagulia, Prime Minister of Abkhazia (2002–2003)
      2. Raul Khajimba, Prime Minister of Abkhazia (2003–2004)
  • South Ossetia (unrecognised, secessionist state)
    • President – Eduard Kokoity, President of South Ossetia (2001–2011)
    • Prime Minister –
    1. Gerasim Khugayev, Prime Minister of South Ossetia (2001–2003)
    2. Igor Sanakoyev, Prime Minister of South Ossetia (2003–2005)
• Germany
  • President – Johannes Rau, Federal President of Germany (1999–2004)
  • Chancellor – Gerhard Schröder, Federal Chancellor of Germany (1998–2005)
• Greece
  • President – Konstantinos Stephanopoulos, President of Greece (1995–2005)
  • Prime Minister – Costas Simitis, Prime Minister of Greece (1996–2004)
• Hungary
  • President – Ferenc Mádl, President of Hungary (2000–2005)
  • Prime Minister – Péter Medgyessy, Prime Minister of Hungary (2002–2004)
• Iceland
  • President – Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, President of Iceland (1996–2016)
  • Prime Minister – Davíð Oddsson, Prime Minister of Iceland (1991–2004)
• Ireland
  • President – Mary McAleese, President of Ireland (1997–2011)
  • Prime Minister – Bertie Ahern, Taoiseach of Ireland (1997–2008)
• Italy
  • President – Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, President of Italy (1999–2006)
  • Prime Minister – Silvio Berlusconi, President of the Council of Ministers of Italy (2001–2006)
• Latvia
  • President – Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga, President of Latvia (1999–2007)
  • Prime Minister – Einars Repše, Prime Minister of Latvia (2002–2004)
• Liechtenstein
  • Monarch – Hans-Adam II, Prince Regnant of Liechtenstein (1989–present)
  • Prime Minister – Otmar Hasler, Head of Government of Liechtenstein (2001–2009)
• Lithuania
  • President –
    1. Valdas Adamkus, President of Lithuania (1998–2003)
    2. Rolandas Paksas, President of Lithuania (2003-2004)
  • Prime Minister – Algirdas Brazauskas, Prime Minister of Lithuania (2001–2006)
• Luxembourg
  • Monarch – Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg (2000–present)
  • Prime Minister – Jean-Claude Juncker, Prime Minister of Luxembourg (1995–2013)
• Macedonia
  • President – Boris Trajkovski, President of Macedonia (1999–2004)
  • Prime Minister – Branko Crvenkovski, President of the Government of Macedonia (2002–2004)
• Malta
  • President – Guido de Marco, President of Malta (1999–2004)
  • Prime Minister – Eddie Fenech Adami, Prime Minister of Malta (1998–2004)
• Moldova
  • President – Vladimir Voronin, President of Moldova (2001–2009)
  • Prime Minister – Vasile Tarlev, Prime Minister of Moldova (2001–2008)
  • Transnistria (unrecognised, secessionist state)
    • President – Igor Smirnov, President of Transnistria (1990–2011)  ^[b]
• Monaco
  • Monarch – Rainier III, Sovereign Prince of Monaco (1949–2005)
  • Prime Minister – Patrick Leclercq, Minister of State of Monaco (2000–2005)
• Kingdom of the Netherlands
  • Monarch – Beatrix, Queen of the Netherlands (1980–2013)
  • Netherlands (constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
    • Prime Minister – Jan Peter Balkenende, Prime Minister of the Netherlands (2002–2010)
  • Netherlands Antilles (constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
    • see § North America
  • Aruba (constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
    • see § North America
• Norway
  • Monarch – Harald V, King of Norway (1991–present)
  • Prime Minister – Kjell Magne Bondevik, Prime Minister of Norway (2001–2005)
• Poland
  • President – Aleksander Kwaśniewski, President of Poland (1995–2005)
  • Prime Minister – Leszek Miller, Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Poland (2001–2004)
• Portugal
  • President – Jorge Sampaio, President of Portugal (1996–2006)
  • Prime Minister – José Manuel Barroso, Prime Minister of Portugal (2002–2004)
• Romania
  • President – Ion Iliescu, President of Romania (2000–2004)
  • Prime Minister –
    1. Adrian Năstase, Prime Minister of Romania (2000–2004)
• Russia
  • President – Vladimir Putin, President of Russia (1999–2008)
  • Prime Minister –
    1. Mikhail Kasyanov, Chairman of the Government of Russia (2000–2004)
• San Marino
  • Kosovo (Self-Governing Entity under UN administration)
    • President – Ibrahim Rugova, President of Kosovo (2002–2006)
    • Prime Minister – Bajram Rexhepi, Prime Minister of Kosovo (2002–2004)
    • UN Special Representative –
      1. Michael Steiner, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Kosovo (2002–2003)
      2. Charles H. Brayshaw, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Kosovo (2003)
      3. Harri Holkeri, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Kosovo (2003–2004)
• Slovakia
  • President – Rudolf Schuster, President of Slovakia (1999–2004)
  • Prime Minister – Mikuláš Dzurinda, Prime Minister of Slovakia (1998–2006)
• Slovenia
  • President – Janez Drnovšek, President of Slovenia (2002–2007)
  • Prime Minister –Anton Rop, Prime Minister of Slovenia (2002–2004)
• Spain
  • Monarch – Juan Carlos I, King of Spain (1975–2014)
  • Prime Minister – José María Aznar, President of the Government of Spain (1996–2004)
• Sweden
  • Monarch – Carl XVI Gustaf, King of Sweden (1973–present)
  • Prime Minister – Göran Persson, Prime Minister of Sweden (1996–2006)
•   Switzerland
  • Council – Federal Council of Switzerland   ^[c]
    • Members – Moritz Leuenberger (1995–2010), Pascal Couchepin (1998–2009), Joseph Deiss (1999–2006; President of Switzerland, 2004), Samuel Schmid (2000–2008), Micheline Calmy-Rey (2002–2011), Ruth Metzler (1999–2003), and Kaspar Villiger (1989–2003)
• Turkey
  • President – Ahmet Necdet Sezer, President of Turkey (2000–2007)
  • Prime Minister –
    1. Bülent Ecevit, Prime Minister of Turkey (1999–2002)
    2. Abdullah Gül, Prime Minister of Turkey (2002–2003)
    3. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Prime Minister of Turkey (2003-2014)
• Ukraine
  • President – Leonid Kuchma, President of Ukraine (1994–2005)
  • Prime Minister – Viktor Yanukovych, Prime Minister of Ukraine (2002–2005)
• United Kingdom
  • Monarch – Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom (1952–2022)
  • Prime Minister – Tony Blair, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1997–2007)
  • Isle of Man (Crown dependency of the United Kingdom)
    • Lieutenant-Governor – Ian Macfadyen, Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man (2000–2005)
    • Chief Minister – Richard Corkill, Chief Minister of the Isle of Man (2001–2004)
  • Guernsey (Crown dependency of the United Kingdom)
    • Lieutenant-Governor – Sir John Foley, Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey (2000–2005)
    • Bailiff – Sir de Vic Carey, Bailiff of Guernsey (1999–2005)
  • Jersey (Crown dependency of the United Kingdom)
    • Lieutenant-Governor – Sir John Cheshire, Lieutenant Governor of Jersey (2001–2006)
    • Bailiff – Sir Philip Bailhache, Bailiff of Jersey (1995–2009)
  • Gibraltar (Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom)
    • Governor –
    1. Sir David Durie, Governor of Gibraltar (2000–2003)
    2. Sir David Blunt, Governor of Gibraltar (2003)
    3. Francis Richards (2003–2006)
    • Chief Minister – Peter Caruana, Chief Minister of Gibraltar (1996–2011)
• Vatican City
  • Monarch – Pope John Paul II, Sovereign of Vatican City (1978–2005)
  • Head of Government – Cardinal Edmund Szoka, President of the Governorate of Vatican City (1997–2006)
  • Holy See (sui generis subject of public international law)
    • Secretary of State – Cardinal Angelo Sodano, Cardinal Secretary of State (1990–2006)
• Yugoslavia
  • President –
    1. Vojislav Koštunica, President of Yugoslavia (2000–2003)
    2. Svetozar Marović, President of Yugoslavia (2003–2006)
  • Prime Minister –
    1. Dragiša Pešić, Prime Minister of Yugoslavia (2001–2003)
    2. Svetozar Marović, Prime Minister of Yugoslavia (2003–2006)

Events

Date	Event	Location
April 16	The Białystok Institute of Cosmetology was founded.	Poland
June 13	The Czech European Union membership referendum was held.	Czech Republic
July 2	Coburg shooting took place.	Germany
August 11	A heat wave struck most of Europe. [1]	Europe
September 10	Anna Lindh was stabbed. [2]	Sweden
September 19	The Aegon Arena officially opened.	Slovakia
November 30	The Sammarinese local elections were held.	San Marino
December 20	Pasqual Maragall took office in the Maragall Government.	Spain
	The Dønnesfjord Church closed.	Norway

Births

Main article: births in 2003

Further information: Category:2003 births

Deaths

Main article: deaths in 2003

Further information: Category:2003 deaths

Date of Death	Person	Location of Birth
August 25	Hjalmar Pettersson (1906) [3]	Sweden
September 11	Anna Lindh (1957) [2]	Sweden

See also

• Europe portal
• 2000s portal

• 2003 in the European Union
• List of state leaders in 2003 § Europe

Notes

1. Abkhazia only declared independence in 1992.
2. Transnistria only declared independence in 1991.
3. The seven-member Swiss Federal Council is head of state and government collectively. As a party to the Council, the president serves solely in a primus inter pares capacity for one year.

References

1. "WMO: Unprecedented sequence of extreme weather events - PreventionWeb.net". www.preventionweb.net.
2. "2003: Anna Lindh dies of stab injuries". 11 September 2003 – via news.bbc.co.uk.
3. "Hjalmar Pettersson Bio, Stats, and Results". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Archived from the original on 2020-04-17.