EU president: Hailing from Belgium and having a name difficult to spell shouldn’t disqualify anyone for a job. Herman Van Rompuy certainly lacks the stardust of some of the candidates who might have been appointed to the job of EU council president, like the UK’s Tony Blair or Spain’s Felipe Gonzales.
Just because he’s unknown doesn’t mean Van Rompuy is unqualified for the job. But the former Belgian prime minister must work hard, and fast, to erase the stain of the dubious Franco-German political horse-trading that put him in the job. He will have ample opportunities to do so, as the Council’s agenda is long on substance in the months to come. It must, among others, agree on a coordinated exit from stimulus packages, rule on the depth and the pace of financial regulatory reforms, and decide how fast the EU should return to strict competition rules after the tide of crisis-induced bail-outs.
The Lisbon treaty is vague enough on the EU council president’s job definition that it allows the holder to tailor it somewhat to his or her personality. He can be the common chief of staff of Europe’s leaders, making sure that meetings run on time, that the agenda is agreed upon, and that the coffee machines are working. If he likes to travel, he can be a roving ambassador for the EU, representing it wherever is needed and making feel-good speeches previously vetted by major governments.
Then he has the option of being a leader – starting by making sure that compromise, the only decision-making process in the EU, is not always based on the lowest common denominator. Van Rompuy comes to the job with the reputation of a tough and shrewd negotiator. He will need these qualities to extract concessions from the 27 member states, both large and small.
He will also need to stand up to the Franco-German alliance that appointed him. As with most things European, the Paris-Berlin entente was the main driving force behind Van Rompuy’s choice. Neither Nicolas Sarkozy nor Angela Merkel seemed to want a leader with a strong international aura, and they wanted to make sure he would come from their political, conservative camp. As often, smaller countries merely grumbled. If he wants to be an effective president, Van Rompuy must first forget who appointed him.
