| REACTIONS TO THE ELECTION OF NEW EUROPEAN OFFICIALS 20/11/2009 |
| (2009-11-20) |
| Last updated: 2009-11-22 21:46 EET |
He will take office on January the 1st 2010. Aged 62, van Rompuy is a Flemish Christian Democrat, who became an MP in 1988. He was elected Prime Minister of Belgium in December of 2008, and is known in his country for his ability to make compromises between the French and Flemish-speaking communities of Belgium.
In his first speech as President-elect of the European Council, van Rompuy said that Europe should play an important role in the world, and agreed that the Union should expand over the following years to include new countries, should they meet the accession requirements. Also in Thursday's meeting held in Brussels, Catherine Ashton, currently European Trade Commissioner, was designated as the next High Representative of the European Union for Common Foreign and Security Policy.
She will succeed Javier Solana in this position, however with more prerogatives, and at the same time, she will fill the position of Vice President of the European Commission. The new head of European diplomacy, boasting formal education in economics, is less known in her native country the UK than in Brussels. She said that “to be the first is a challenge for me. I was the first British woman elected European Commissioner, the first woman Trade Commissioner, and now, the first woman High Representative”.
She asked all those who talked about her lack of experience to judge her by her actions, and not by what others say about her. The White House saluted the appointment of the two new EU officials, expressing hope for a consolidated partnership between Europe and the US. French President Nicolas Sarkozy believes that van Rompuy will provide a strong leadership. According to the authorities in Bucharest, the meeting in Brussels aimed to establish a new executive leadership structure in compliance with the Treaty of Lisbon, by appointing the President of the European Council and the High Representative for Foreign Policy.
From a political point of view, the two positions, created by the Treaty of Lisbon, are filled by a representative of the European People's Party, and one of the Socialist Party, thus levelling political forces within the Council. The Treaty of Lisbon, initially meant to make Europe's voice better heard on the international scene, will enter into force on December 1st 2009.
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2025-04-03
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