Van Rompuy gets 2nd term at helm of European Council

Brussels: European Union leaders appointed Herman Van Rompuy on Thursday to a second term as president of the European Council — the gathering of the 27 EU heads of government. Van Rompuy, a former Belgian prime minister and a mild-mannered but canny negotiator, has brokered several important agreements, a notable achievement in an institution where unanimity is required for major decisions. He was reappointed at a summit meeting of EU leaders in Brussels. [caption id=“attachment_231351” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Herman Van Rompuy gestures while speaking during a media conference at an EU summit in Brussels. AP”] [/caption] He tweeted Thursday evening that he was “very honored.” The appointment had to be unanimous. “It’s with pleasure that I accept a 2nd mandate,” he said in another tweet. “A privilege to serve Europe in such decisive times; also a big responsibility.” Van Rompuy is the first person to hold the post. But it has not evolved the way some had envisioned. He is contrained by national interests, and cannot stride the world stage, speaking for the entire EU and allowing it to punch above its weight. “The position is far away from what was imagined when it was created,” said Paul De Grauwe, an economist and EU specialist at the London School of Economics. The job was created as part of the Treaty of Lisbon, which was signed in December 2007. Van Rompuy took office a year after that But if Van Rompuy is not a global star, he is credited with steadily guiding an institution replete with outsized egos and conflicting interests as it has struggled to stem its financial crisis. “Herman, you’re a modest man but what is not modest is your enormous work for Europe,” tweeted Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt after the appointment Thursday. The EU leaders also named Van Rompuy chairman of the euro summits, a new position meant to reinforce economic cooperation among eurozone countries. Van Rompuy is limited to two 2 1/2-year terms as president of the European Council. AP