Brussels, 08/09/2004 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday, the European Commission approved the appointment of the former Irish Prime Minister, John Bruton, as the new head of its delegation in Washington. "This decision reflects the joint wish of the Commission and Member States to raise the profile of the European Union in the United States. The Commission looks forward to welcoming Mr Bruton and hopes his appointment will lead to a further strengthening of EU-US ties, and to deeper mutual understanding in this indispensable partnership", it said. Member States will be simply consulted on the nomination. Mr Bruton is expected to join the Commission delegation on 1 November but he will not be able to begin his work in Washington until the diplomatic accreditation procedure is complete. We recall that John Bruton, representing the Irish parliament, was also a very active member of the Convention that drew up a draft European Constitution.
The delegation in Washington - currently headed by Günter Burghardt of Germany - is one of the largest Commission delegations in third countries (with around 80 people employed there).