Brussels, 19/11/2009 (Agence Europe) - The Extraordinary European Council opened early evening on Thursday 19 November. A compromise seemed to be in sight on the three posts that are to be attributed by the heads of state and government: - permanent president of the European Council, high representative for foreign affairs and security, and Council secretary general. After the latest speculations on possible, last minute candidates - for example, the former president of Finland and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Martti Ahtisaari, for the presidency of the European Council - the choice finally seemed to move towards the current Belgian prime minister, Herman van Rompuy, for the post of president of the European Council. According to diplomats, Catherine Ashton, currently European Trade Commissioner, would be given the post of Commission vice-president/high representative for foreign affairs and security policy.
On Thursday late afternoon, shortly before the summit opened, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel were holding a three-way meeting with the Danish prime minister, Lars Loekke Rasmussen, to speak of climate and preparations for the Copenhagen conference (see related article).
At the same time, Socialist leaders and prime ministers (including Gordon Brown, José Luis Zapatero and George Papandreou) met in a “pre-summit” at the initiative of the Austrian chancellor, Werner Faymann, to finalise a common position on the future president of the European Council (who, in principle, must be a member of the EPP), and designate the European Socialists' candidate to the post of high representative. (H.B./transl.jl)