WEEKLY MESSAGE FROM CHARGÉ D'AFFAIRES ANGELOS PANGRATIS

November 25, 2009

The New EU Leadership

Meeting in Brussels last week, EU Heads of State and Government decided unanimously to nominate Herman Van Rompuy, the Prime Minister of Belgium, to serve as the first President of the European Council, and Catherine Ashton, currently European Commissioner for Trade, to be the EU High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy. These decisions, taken so expeditiously, show the determination of our Member States to have these key positions created by the Lisbon Treaty filled in time for its entry into force on December 1.

A life-long politician and an economist by training, Herman Van Rompuy is credited with bringing political stability to Belgium while serving as its Prime Minister. When he takes up his new position as permanent President of the European Council for a 2½ year term, his core responsibilities will include chairing European Council summits, which bring together the Heads of State and Government of the 27 EU Member States, and representing the EU at his level on the global stage. The position will replace the six-months rotating Council presidency.

Catherine Ashton's new portfolio as the EU’s High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy merges two existing functions: that of EU High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy, held heretofore by Javier Solana, and that of European Commissioner for External Relations, held currently by Benita Ferrero-Waldner. When she assumes her new role, Lady Ashton will preside over the Council of EU foreign ministers, conduct the Union's common foreign and security and defense policies and contribute proposals to their further development. She will also, as one of the Vice Presidents of the European Commission, ensure the consistency and coordination of all aspects of the Union's external action and will be tasked with setting up the European External Action Service that will include the network of EU Delegations around the world.

The EU is also in the process of building a new European Commission under President José Manuel Barroso, who was re-elected to a second five-year term in September. All 27 EU Member States have nominated their Commissioners-designate, and President Barroso will now proceed with the allocation of portfolios. Hearings at the European Parliament will take place in January--before the College of Commissioners as a whole will be subject to a vote of approval by the Parliament.

We Are Changing Name!

Next Tuesday, on December 1, we will officially unveil the new plaque for our offices, changing our name from "Delegation of the European Commission" to "Delegation of the European Union." The name change heralds and reflects the profound institutional changes that will enhance our external representation as provided for in the Lisbon Treaty. 

Follow-Up to the November 3 EU-US Summit

Some important follow-up has taken place in two areas – development and counterterrorism - since the last EU-US summit in Washington.

Last week, Stefano Manservisi, the European Commission's Director General for Development, came to Washington to re-launch our development dialogue as agreed at the US-EU Summit. The initial emphasis of this dialogue will be on sustainable food security, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and on working together in preparation for the Millennium Development Goals Review in 2010. He had very positive exchanges of view with US counterparts on Africa and a constructive exchange of experiences related to the current reform process of US foreign assistance. He also launched the 2009 European Development Report: "Overcoming Fragility in Africa."

Separately, Gilles De Kerchove, the EU's Counter-Terrorism Coordinator was also in Washington last week as part of an EU Delegation led by the current Swedish Presidency of the European Union.

For several years now, EU and US experts have been meeting regularly to coordinate their respective approaches to fighting terrorism. Considerable progress has been made in sharing threat assessments and regional priorities. Coordinated measures, concerning among others the freezing of bank accounts and financial transfers, have made it much more difficult for terrorists to use the international financial system. The exchange of best practices is contributing to more effective measures against terrorist radicalization and recruitment. Last week's meetings reviewed current issues in counterterrorism, for example, the effectiveness of mechanisms to designate and sanction terrorist entities or individuals. EU Member States remain in the front line of the operational fight against terrorism.

Thanksgiving

As Americans prepare to rejoin their friends and families for the Thanksgiving Holiday, we extend our warmest wishes and appreciation to our American friends and colleagues for their support and cooperation.

Holiday Reading

There are many more interesting developments taking place in Europe than there is room to mention here. Please take a moment to visit our website – www.eurunion.org – where you can find interesting updates on several important topics, including:

The Countdown to Copenhagen:
http://www.eurunion.org/eu/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3520&Itemid=3520 ;

The EU and Energy Security (EU Focus): http://www.eurunion.org/News/eunewsletters/EUFocus/2009/EUFocus-EnergySecur-11-09.pdf ;

November 20 EU3+3 Meetings with Iran on Nuclear Issues:
http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressdata/en/declarations/111386.pdf .

Please send me your comments about this or any of my weekly messages or other EU matters. I look forward to hearing from you!