Herman van Rompuy “elected” EU’s first President
Belgian Prime Minister Herman van Rompuy is to become the first President of the European Union. Photo: Luc Van Braekel/Wikipedia
Belgian Prime Minister Herman van Rompuy, a little-know federalist, has been elected European Union’s first President by the member states of the Union.
According to the Daily Telegraph, van Rompuy is a poetry-writing economist almost entirely unknown outside Belgium until he emerged as EU leaders’ choice for a President who could not possibly overshadow national leaders.
A staunch advocate of European integration, he has backed policies including a European-wide tax on all financial transactions to fund EU work.
The post of the President of the European Council was created by the Lisbon Treaty. The President was “elected” by the member states, not the people.
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