Brussels, 31/08/2014 (Agence Europe) - In Brussels on Saturday 30 August, the EU put an end to the rash of speculations about the latest appointments to high-ranking positions in the EU institutions. After appointing Jean-Claude Juncker as president of the European Commission on 27 June, the European Council decided, as expected, to elect the Polish prime minister, Donald Tusk, as President of the European Council. It also appointed the Italian foreign minister, Federica Mogherini, as EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (the European Parliament will confirm this appointment when it approves the appointment of the members of the European Commission). Tusk has been elected for a two-and-a-half year term, which may be renewed for one further term, from 1 December 2014 to 31 May 2017. Mogherini will take over from Catherine Ashton on 1 November 2014 and remain in her position as EU high representative until 31 October 2019.
The current president of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, said the decisions on the next institutional cycle had had the “full endorsement of the European Council” after “several rounds (of consultations) over the summer”.
The idea of appointing Mogherini had generated controversy at the European Council of 16 July due to claims of her being soft on the Kremlin, but a balance was found by appointing Tusk, a clear proponent of a hard line approach vis-à-vis Moscow. In recent days, consensus formed around these two names as East European countries agreed to support the choice of the young Italian and enjoy the prestige of representation at international level. Tusk said that, for Poland, which joined the EU in 2004, it was a crowning point and “a very important summit for his country.”
It is also a victory for German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who had been championing the Pole since mid-July. With less-than-perfect fluency in English, which he promised to remedy before he takes up office on 1 December, Tusk does not speak French, but speaks perfect German. Setting out his priorities to the press, Tusk said that he would focus on growth, but also on budget discipline. “Growth is as important as budget discipline,” he said, adding: “A path must be found between the two to achieve the same objectives”.
Merkel was lavish in her praise of Tusk, commenting: “Poland has contributed significantly - and Donald Tusk personally - to ensuring that the division of Europe could be overcome. Mr Tusk is a passionate, committed European, who knows how to win others over, and I am certain that this is exactly what he will do in his position as president of the European Council”.
The appointment will affect Poland's position vis-à-vis the single currency. “Poland's future lies in the Eurozone”, said Tusk, adding: “I will do my best to achieve this objective”, although this is “Poland's sovereign decision”. The Polish prime minister has also been appointed president of the eurozone summit. He laid emphasis, too, on sorting out a crucial question - the United Kingdom's role in the EU, which Van Rompuy also sees as one of the most burning issues for the next few years. “There is no future for the EU without the United Kingdom”, said Tusk: “David Cameron and I are as one on this subject, and therefore his reform proposals must be taken into account”.
Federica Mogherini was rapidly called to account over her experience and her attitude that some see a being too soft on the Kremlin. The 41-year old has only been foreign minister for six months, but has “studied international and European issues for more than twenty years”. She pointed out that the Italian prime minister, Matteo Renzi, 39, was younger than she was, as were other prime ministers. “A new generation of leaders is arriving,” she said. Briefly outlining the position she will take in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, she said that the “military path is not the right solution. We are working on sanctions while keeping the diplomatic channel open”. “I will put all my work, energy and devotion into working in the interest of all member states and all European citizens”, she added.
Jean-Claude Juncker's team of commissioners. Now that Mogherini has been appointed, the president of the European Commission can focus on finalising the rest of his team. The Luxembourger will interview all the candidates next week and is expected to unveil his team in the week of 8 September, along with the jobs to which they will be allocated. But the question of the number of women on the team has not been resolved, even though Denmark has unveiled a fifth female candidate commissioner in the person of Margrethe Vestager (from the ALDE party). The president of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz of Germany, seemed on Saturday to be opening the door to a Juncker Commission with slightly fewer than the current nine women commissioners, as long as it comes up with a convincing work programme, but warned: “There is a real risk of the Juncker Commission being rejected if the number of women is significantly lower than in the second Barroso Commission”. (SP along with AN/MB/MD/FG/EL/CG/LC)