Belgian PM to be EU President
AFTER months of speculation Belgian Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy was last night named as Europe’s first President, with trade commissioner Lady Ashton recruited to head up the Commission’s foreign policy.
Rompuy – who beat former BritishPrime Minister Tony Blair to the feted role – is Belgium’s centre right Prime Minister, and is credited with easing the cultural tensions that threatened to tear the country apart last year.
Ashton, who was previously the Leader of the House of Lords and Lord President of the Council, has had a long career in public office without once being elected by voters.
Married to the former journalist and respected pollster Peter Kellner, she said she would pursue a policy of “quiet diplomacy” to advance the EU’s interests on the international stage.