EU Picks Unknowns for Top Two Jobs

The choice of Belgian Herman Van Rompuy as Europe's first president and Briton Catherine Ashton as foreign policy chief marks an improbable rise for both

By Honor Mahony and Andrew Willis

EU leaders have chosen Belgian Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy to be the first president of the European Council, while UK trade commissioner Catherine Ashton will become the bloc's foreign policy chief.

Welcoming the decision on Thursday evening (19 November), Swedish leader Fredrik Reinfeldt said: "What we were seeking were people to create continuity" and "to be the voice and face of Europe throughout the world."

The deal marked the latest step of an improbable rise by two erstwhile little-known politicians.

Controversy over government meddling in a court case surrounding the breakup of the cross-border bank, Fortis, late last year saw Herman Van Rompuy unexpectedly catapulted into the role of Belgian prime minister.

Mr Van Rompuy, from the centre-right political family, is a trained economist and has been running Belgium for less than a year. He writes Haiku (Japanese verse) and is known for his low-key style, which includes a line in self-deprecatory humour and caravan holidays.

He came to prominence after Germany and France a few weeks ago agreed between themselves to promote him. Several diplomats subsequently suggested that his short term in office stood to his advantage as he has had no time to make enemies among other EU leaders.

And a surprise call to return to domestic UK politics for former EU trade commissioner Peter Mandelson sent replacement Catherine Ashton on a journey to the EU's capital some months earlier.

The presidency decision – nominating a person from a small country with no international profile – confirms the speculation of recent weeks that the majority of member states wanted to choose a person whose main role will be that of an internal fixer, rather than someone who can open doors in Washington and Moscow.

Herman Van Rompuy

Mr Van Rompuy underlined his low-key approach by saying he intended to be "discreet" and that his personal opinions were "subordinate" to the council.

He talked up the importance of member states and their diversity and noted that he would "put forward the positions that the council has approved" at international meetings without stepping on the toes of the European Commission president.

Having held the office of prime minister for less than one year, perhaps Mr Van Rompuy's greatest success has been to efficiently navigate a middle path between the frequently conflicting views voiced by politicians in Belgium's Dutch and French-speaking regions.

A member of the Flemish Christian Democrat party (CD&V), the Belgian leader's low-key conciliatory style and political orientation were key in him securing the council presidency job.

The 62-year old intellectual was also undoubtedly aided by his lack of political baggage, following a political career that has seen him take few controversial positions.

His training in economics was followed by a stint at the Belgian central bank in the early 1970s, before taking over the leadership of the Flemish Christian Democrat party (1988-93).

Mr Van Rompuy then served as minister of budget (1993-99), and subsequently took over as leader of lower house of the Belgian parliament in 2007.

He has been supportive of stimulus spending, despite presiding over a country with one of Europe's highest debt-to-GDP ratios, and on Thursday night said battling the "anxiety and uncertainty" triggered by the financial crisis and fighting climate change will be his top priorities.

More controversially, comments made by the Belgian leader in 2004, when in opposition, suggest he does not favour the prospect of Turkey joining the EU, drawing concerns from Turkish politicians following his appointment to the council presidency post.

Known for his support of strong ties with the US, less is known about Mr Van Rompuy's vision for Europe.

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