European Movement International Statement on nominees for new EU top jobs

The European Movement International (EMI) welcomes the decision taken by the EU Heads of State and Government to name Prime Minister Herman van Rompuy and Baroness Catherine Ashton, respectively as the first-ever permanent President of the European Council, and High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. The EMI congratulates the nominees and wishes them the best of success in the exercise of their new tasks.

Now that the decision regarding the names has been taken and announced, the EMI urges the EU Heads of State and Government to ensure that the new President of the European Council has sufficient backing and margin of manoeuvre from them to be able to act with the necessary political capacity and autonomy. As regards the new High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the new institutional architecture created by the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty will add to the potential of that office. However, its effectiveness also will depend critically on the political will of Member States, especially larger Member States, to act in common as Europeans. Specifically what is needed for the development and the promotion of a new European foreign policy is a greater emphasis on the pursuit of common European interests over Member States' bilateral policy preferences with third countries.

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Editors' Note: The EUROPEAN MOVEMENT is an international organisation open to all political, economic, social and cultural trends in civil society.

For more information, please contact the secretariat: tel +32 (0)2 508 30 88, email: communication(at)europeanmovement.eu