By Xinhua writers Liu Xiaoyan, Zhang Wei
BRUSSELS, Nov. 19 (Xinhua) -- Leaders of the 27-member European Union reached a consensus here on Thursday night, appointing Belgian Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy as the EU's first full-time president and British EU Trade Commissioner Catherine Ashton as the bloc's foreign policy chief.
The appointments were announced here at a press conference held after an informal summit attended by heads of state and government from the 27 member states.
"Today, we decided the people who will lead Europe to the future," said Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, whose country currently holds the rotating EU presidency, at the press conference.
President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso said the election of Rompuy as president was an expression of their gratitude to Belgium which is always committed to EU's common interest.
He thanked Reinfeldt's hard work in choosing candidates, presenting a Rubik's cube to Reinfeldt and congratulating him on solving a "Rubic's cube."
Before the informal summit, Reinfeldt has conducted wide consultations among the heads of state and government, calling them respectively and trying hard to reach a consensus on the thorny issue.
Barroso also said at the conference that "the Kissinger issue is now solved," referring to the question put forward by U.S. former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. Kissinger once said "Who do I call when I want to speak to Europe? "
Barroso said that U.S. President Barack Obama could call Ashton now because she would be in charge of the European foreign affairs.
Van Rompuy, 62, told the press conference that the appointment "marks a recognition of my country as a founding member of the EU," adding he will assume his duty as EU's first permanent president on January 1, 2010.
"Even if it is particularly hard to abandon the post I hold in my country, I have accepted the decision," said the low-profile politician who became Belgian Prime Minister in December 2008.
Ashton said she was surprised with her election and she would do what she can to fulfill her duty.
When asked whether her gender has played a part in her election and being lack of experience, she responded that she was proud of being a woman holding the role and termed herself as a good negotiator, citing merits of striking a trade agreement with South Korea and settling decade-long trade disputes with the U.S.
"Judge me by what I do, you will feel proud of me, " said she, adding that "I now turn to European Parliament to hopefully endorse what has been put forward by the Council."
At the informal summit, the leaders also elected deputy secretary general of the Council Pierre de Boissieu from France as general secretary of the Council Secretariat.
The three new top posts are regulated by the Lisbon Treaty, which is due to come into force on December 1, 2009. The role of the EU president is to chair the EU's summit, while the foreign policy supremo is to head the EU's foreign policy arm. The foreign policy chief -- who is also to be a member of the executive European Commission -- needs approval from European Commission President Barroso and the European Parliament.
Observers said that the main consideration of Thursday's choice was to achieve a balance between right and left, small and big countries and between north and south in the 27-nation bloc.
Considering the fact that Van Rompuy comes from a small member state and is less high-profile on the international stage, some analysts said that the new EU president might be overshadowed by other heavyweights such as leaders of Germany and France, and the foreign policy chief, who will head a new foreign policy section and appears more often on the international stage.
