The Secretary-General of the Council of the European Union heads the General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union. In April 2015, the Council appointed the Danish diplomat Jeppe Tranholm-Mikkelsen as Secretary-General of the Council for the period from 1 July 2015 to 30 June 2020. He was appointed for a second term on 29 April 2020. The second, five-year term runs from 1 July 2020 to 30 June 2025. As of 2010, the Secretary-General's basic pay is equal to that of a top-tier civil servant: €17,697.68 per month.