On November 19, during the Summit of the European Council held in Brussels, former Prime Minister of Belgium Herman Van Rompuy was elected as a President of European Council by 27 EU member states and governments. Just to remind, the European Council is an institution comprised of presidents and heads of governments of the EU member states. Mr. Rompuy is the first President elected in this newly created position under the Treaty of Lisbon. According to the Treaty of Lisbon, the President shall chair the institution for 2.5 years with the right to be reelected just once. more >>>

During the same Summit, participants appointed the high representative of foreign affairs, Baroness Catherine Ashton, the current Commissioner for Trade of the European Commission, who still needs tobe approved by the European Parliament. The newly elected President of the European Council belongs to center-rightpolitical wing, while the High Representative of Foreign Affairs is from thel eft wing, which is an evidence of an attempt to keep the balance between different political directions.

Along with the position of the President of European Council, the European Union Council (Council of the Ministers) will continue to keep the system of presidency which is implemented based on the principle of rotation. The main competencies of the President of European Council relate to the preparatory activities of the European Council and assurance of their continuity. The President will also have a role in representing the European Union to the world within the framework of Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

However, who shall govern European Union? Will the President of the European Council be the one? These questions still remain open. We know that the institutions of the European Union are given competencies by the member states through various agreements and treaties. In this case, the problem of finding a telephone number for the European Union remains unsolved. In 1970s, Henry Kissinger mentioned: “When I want to call to Europe I can’t find the telephone number”. The words stipulated by Mr. Kissinger, indeed, relate to the ability of Europe to talk unanimously, especially in the field of Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.