Europe's New Leadership

'Who' for President, 'I Don't Know' for Foreign Minister

By Carsten Volkery

The appointment of Herman Van Rompuy and Catherine Ashton to the European Union's top spots has many scratching their heads. The two are relatively unknown, but expectations are so low, they can only exceed them.

After the European Union's top level positions were appointed, European parliamentarian Andrew Duff merely said out loud what many were already thinking: "It's not very exciting," said the Brit.

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Herman Van Rompuy and Catherine Ashton have been chosen as the EU's new leadership duo.

The European public has already had weeks to accustom themselves to the EU's new president, the pale Belgian Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy. The 62-year-old proved himself a capable crisis manager after holding together a shaky five-party coalition in his native country, making him a favorite choice for the office.

However, the big surprise came with the appointment of Catherine Ashton as the EU's new foreign representative. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown pulled her name from the hat at the last minute of Thursday's special EU summit. Ashton herself was taken by surprise -- that morning she had no idea her name was even an option.

Ashton will now have to set to work earning the respect of the world. Before the choice was made, it was expected that this high-level representative would have already held a position as foreign minister. Instead, the 53-year-old Ashton is a foreign-policy blank slate. For a year, she's worked in Brussels as the EU Commissioner for Trade. She was appointed to the post when her predecessor Peter Mandelson was ordered back to London to save the Brown government from disintegration.

'Best Person for the Job'

While Mandelson was one of the most well-known European commissioners, Ashton has hardly left a mark on the position she is now leaving. She does not, however, lack in self confidence. In response to her critics, Ashton noted she had 25 years of negotiation experience, adding that she plans to use her perceived weaknesses -- a low profile and quiet deameanor -- to usher in a new quiet diplomacy and prove that she is "the best person for the job."

It is a statement that puts her scrappy nature on display. Ashton has a classic Social Democratic background. Born in a small town, she was the first woman in her family to attend university. She slowly worked her way up in Britain's Labour Party, ultimately becoming under-secretary of state in the Department for Education and Skills. During her eight-year tenure, she took a stand for people with disabilities and children who come from disadvantaged families.

Ashton, though, has never stood for election. In 1999, she was appointed as Labour Party leader in the House of Lords, Britain's upper house of parliament, by then-Prime Minister Tony Blair. As part of the appointment, she received the title of Baroness. During her time in the upper house, her greatest achievement was getting a majority vote on the Lisbon Treaty. At the time, Martin Schulz, who heads the Social Democratic faction in European Parliament, praised her "high diplomatic aptitude."

Trail-Blazing

Her affable but tough personality has strenthened her reputation as a tough negotiator. The skills served her well as Trade Commissioner when she quietly put together a trail-blazing free trade agreement with South Korea.

The ability to forge agreements quietly is a skill that Van Rompuy also possesses. The Christian Democrat, who likes to pen Japanese haikus and author more social-philosophical works, is considered a master of consent. During his tenure as Belgian prime minister, he gained experience holding together awkward coalitions. He was well on his way to retirement last December, when he was called to serve as interim prime minister during a time when Belgium was grasping for a leader. He took the position unwillingly. This time, however, it seems he is looking forward to the task at hand.

Van Rompuy and Ashton are both trained economists. They are considered competent analysts of the type that are invaluable in public service. They are by no means "political animals." Only time will tell if they are able to face the heat of the international spotlights.

Low Expectations

For the next two-and-a-half years, Van Rompuy will have to negotiate the outcomes of meetings with 27 heads of state and government in the European Union. He will have to quickly develop his own profile so as not to become a mere tool of France and Germany, which helped put him in office.

However the more important job, at least on paper, belongs to the new EU foreign minister. Part of her new role will be to create a new European diplomatic force that could involve as many as 7,000 people, thus pioneering a genuine European foreign policy. But the real advantage is that both Ashton and Van Rompuy are facing expectations so low, they can only exceed them.

Who is Van Rompuy?

New EU President's Life Motto Is 'Quiet Determination'

By Jeroen van der Kris in Brussels

Herman Van Rompuy is a practicing Catholic who belongs to the conservative wing of the Flemish Christian Democrat party. He likes haiku poetry and prefers the Beatles to the Stones.

Not long after Herman Van Rompuy unexpectedly became prime minister of Belgium late last year, he went on a skiing holiday to Austria -- by overnight coach. He didn't intend to suddenly start living a life of luxury, he said. Last summer Van Rompuy ventured out quite a bit further, to Australia, but he travelled economy class.

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Belgian Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy.

The 62-year-old politician likes to project an image of modesty. In a recent interview he admitted he still can't bring himself to call the German chancellor by her first name. "I just can't do it. I'm too timid," he said. Now this shy politician will preside over meetings between Angela Merkel and the 26 other government leaders of the EU bloc.

The new EU president's life motto is "rustige vastheid" or "quiet determination." It is also the name he gave to his house in Rhode-Saint-Genèse, a wealthy suburb south of Brussels, right on the linguistic border between the Flemish and French-speaking parts of Belgium.

As prime minister, Van Rompuy brought back calm to Belgium, after what was the worst political crisis in the country's 180-year history. For this reason French-speaking politicians in Belgium are sorry to see him leave for Europe. The stage now seems set for the return of fellow Flemish Christian Democrat Yves Leterme, whose stubbornness brought the country to the brink of a break-up.

Views on Turkey

Much is unknown about the new EU president, including what his ideas about Europe are. In the past few weeks an old statement by Van Rompuy about Turkish entry into the EU was unearthed.

In December 2004 Van Rompuy, a member of Belgian parliament at the time, said: "Turkey is not a part of Europe and will never be part of Europe (...) The universal values which are in force in Europe, and which are also fundamental values of Christianity, will lose vigor with the entry of a large Islamic country such as Turkey." Asked about his views on Turkey at Thursday's press conference, Van Rompuy said: "My opinion is not relevant."

Van Rompuy is a practicing Catholic who belongs to the conservative wing of the Flemish Christian Democrat party CD&V. He was once featured on the cover of a Belgian magazine, together with his brother Eric, also a politician, as 'the conscience of Flanders.' The sixties mostly passed him by, he has said in interviews. He saw the movie "Woodstock," but decided it was not part of his world. He prefers the Beatles to the Stones, and he enjoys Leonard Cohen.

Former Budget Minister

But a hardcore conservative he is not. When Elio di Rupo, the homosexual chairman of the French-speaking socialists, was -- unjustly -- accused of paedophilia a few years ago, Van Rompuy was one of the people who stood up for him.

Even though Thursday's European summit was only the sixth he has attended, he is no stranger to the EU. As budget minister (1993-1999) he prepared the ground for Belgium's adoption of the euro. His father was a professor of economics; Van Rompuy himself studied both economics and philosophy.

Ironically, he came close to becoming Belgian prime minister in 1994, when Jean-Luc Dehaene looked set to become president of the European Commission. Van Rompuy was supposed to take Dehaene's place, but British Prime Minister John Major vetoed Dehaene.

Belgian commentators have pointed out that Van Rompuy's appointment must be particularly painful for another former Belgian prime minister, Guy Verhofstadt, who also came close to becoming Commission president, but was vetoed by Tony Blair five years ago.

'Dialogue, Unity, Action'

Van Rompuy is the antithesis of Verhofstadt, an eternally optimistic liberal who is full of grand ideas about the future of Europe. Van Rompuy, by contrast, likes the haiku, a very short form of Japanese poetry. In his vision, an optimist is "a badly informed pessimist."

For all the credit Van Rompuy has recently been given for keeping Belgium from falling apart, it must be noted that Van Rompuy hasn't brought the country closer to a lasting solution either. He brought calm to the country mainly by not discussing the main issues separating the country's six million Flemish and four million French-speakers.

"My whole political life has been about mutual understanding, and I intend to continue on that route," he said in his acceptance speech on Thursday evening. Being Belgian, he easily switched between French, English and his native Dutch. In the latter he said there has been much debate recently about what the profile of an EU president should be. "There is only one profile," Van Rompuy said, "one of dialogue, unity and action."