EU appoints first President and Foreign Affairs chief
Leaders of the 27 EU countries agreed, at a special meeting on 19 November, on the appointment of Belgian centre-right Prime Minister Herman van Rompuy to the new post of President of the Council of the EU. Leaders further agreed that the UK's current Commissioner for Trade, Baroness Catherine Ashton, will fill the post of High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.
The two posts are created by the new Lisbon Treaty, due to enter into force on 1 December, which amend the legal framework for the EU, its institutions and how it functions. The President post aims to give more continuity to leadership of the EU Council than the rotating six-month Presidencies of the EU Member countries. The Foreign Affairs post is intended to be a 'face' of the EU in its external relations, strengthening a coherent EU voice on the world stage.
The appointment of van Rompuy and Ashton as the first to fill the new positions followed political wrangling between EU leaders which had seen various names emerge as potential candidates. These ranged from high profile figures like Tony Blair to the lesser known Jean-Claude Juncker of Luxembourg.
For more information on the posts see the following
Council press release. A Scotland Europa special report on the new posts and their holders is available to our Members: please log in and view the report.
Author:
Karen Burt
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Article date:
20 Nov 2009
Expiry date of the article:
20 Nov 1014