EU elected President and EU foreign policy chief

Belgian Prime Minister, Herman van Rompuy, has been elected the first EU president of the European Union. Baroness Catherine Ashton has been elected High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

Shortly before the vote Herman van Rompuy was officially nominated by Sweden which is presiding in the EU now. Earlier candidates for this position were ex-president of Latvia Vaira Vike-Freiberg and former Prime Minister of the Great Britain Tony Blair, but they haven’t been nominated. Blair’s candidature was actively lobbied by the present British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, but as noted by Sky News, not long before the vote Downing Street ditched these plans, as they found the former Prime Minister’s rating not high enough.

Besides, Baroness Catherine Ashton has been elected High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. She was nominated by Sweden as well.

Shortly before the vote Herman van Rompuy was officially nominated by Sweden which is presiding in the EU now. Earlier candidates for this position were ex-president of Latvia Vaira Vike-Freiberg and former Prime Minister of the Great Britain Tony Blair, but they haven’t been nominated. Blair’s candidature was actively lobbied by the present British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, but as noted by Sky News, not long before the vote Downing Street ditched these plans, as they found the former Prime Minister’s rating not high enough.

After his election, the first EU President stated his intention to continue enlargement of the European Union.

“I hope that in the next two and a half years new members would join the EU, understandably those who fulfil all the necessary conditions,” he said at a press-conference on Thursday late at night.

The EU President reminded about the responsibly of Europe and its role in the modern world. “Without many our values the world may have no future,” Herman van Rompuy said. He reminded that the EU has a great economic influence and represents half a billion population. “It is a social project, which is based on a solidarity and creative approach,” Herman van Rompuy underlined.

The new president underlined the importance of member countries with their diversity, and also noted that he would promote the positions approved by the council at the international meetings, without “stepping on the toes” the chairman of the European Commission.

Herman van Rompuy stated that his personal opinion is totally secondary as compared to the opinion of the European Council, the EU states heads. It is not important what he thinks. He can take part in the discussion, but his role is to seek for a common opinion, he stated.

During his speech after the election, Herman van Rompuy wanted to demonstrate that he is a president of all Europeans, and several times switched languages. He started his speech in French, then in English, and then he spoke his native Dutch.

Greeting the decision adopted on Thursday, Swedish leader Fredrik Reinfeldt said: “We were looking for people who would be ready for provide continuance and to become the voice and the face of Europe for the whole world”.

As written by Belgian edition “EUobserver”, this decision on election of the president, a person from a little country who is not known at the international arena, supports the rumours of the recent weeks that most countries would like to elect the leader whose main role would be in adjustment of internal differences, and not the one able for opening doors in Washington and Moscow.

In connection with election of the new EU president, Italian La Stampa noted: with all respect to van Rompuy and Ashton, key positions in the EU have been occupied by the two “strangers”. The election in Brussels has demonstrated the fact that despite of the fact of two year mistrust, Nikolas Sarkozy and Angela Merkel managed to find a way to restoration of French-German axis. These leaders are building a dialogue which largely resembles the dialogue of their predecessors. Not long ago they were Chirac and Schroeder, whose alliance ended by a disruption of Atlantic relations with Bush administration. Sarkozy and Merkel, on the contrary, are set to have a direct connection line with Washington, the newspaper writes.

Van Rompuy is to take up official duties as the President of the European Council on January 1, 2010.

Herman Van Rompuy is 62. His main achieving is easing the tensions between the two communities of the country in the centre of Europe, the Flemish and Walloon. Because of this conflict the youngest country of Western Europe was on the verge of disintegration. Several years ago a large railway catastrophe happened because two engine driver couldn’t understand each other as they spoke different languages.

Van Rompuy is a member of the Flemish community, which is more economically developed. He worked as a Prime Minister for less than a year, since December 30, 2008.

Catherine Margaret Ashton is 53, she graduated from University of London. She studied economy. She occupied a number of positions related to employment and education. She was made a life peer as Baroness Ashton of Upholland in 1999. In June 2001 she was made a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Department for Education and Skills.

In 2006 she won the "Politician of the Year" award. In 2007, Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, appointed her to the Cabinet as Leader of the House of Lords and Lord President of the Council.

She is married to Peter Kellner, the President of YouGov polling company.