Belgian prime minister named first EU president

(BRUSSELS) - European leaders chose Belgian Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy as the European Union's first president on Thursday, the EU presidency announced, after Britain dropped its backing for Tony Blair.

Britain in exchange secured the prestigious diplomatic post of European foreign policy supremo for its current EU Trade Commissioner Catherine Ashton.

The two posts are aimed at boosting Europe's clout in the international arena and allowing it to speak with a unified voice to powers like the United States and China.

"This is the new leadership team of Europe," said Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeld, flanked by Van Rompuy and Ashton, who minutes early had received fulsome backslaps and kisses from the assembled leaders.

"The ideas is to have a leader of the (EU) council ... who actually gives room for everyone, who listens to everyone, who creates winners not losers." Reinfeldt said. "We have achieved that."

Van Rompuy accepted the challenge, while saying he regretted giving up the Belgian premiership.

"Even if it is particularly difficult to abandon the leadership of my country, I accept your decision and I thank you for the honour you have given me," Van Rompuy said.

"I didn't see this high office... but from tonight I will assume it with conviction," he added.

The choice of Van Rompuy was no surprise and became inevitable after Britain dropped its bid to get Blair appointed.

The European Union's 27 heads of state and government took the decision at a dinner summit in Brussels.

The move, which came far more quickly than analysts had anticipated, installs two candidates with little experience in international politics, and in Ashton's case almost none in diplomacy.

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso hailed the choices, rejecting suggestions, at the post-summit press council, that Ashton was too inexperienced for the job.

"It is so important that Britain remains at the heart of the European project and Cathy Ashton brings the global visions that Britain has," he told reporters. "She is our foreign minister".

"Judge me on what I do and I think you will be pleased and poroud of me," said Ashton, who has swiftly earned a reputation in Brussels as an effective negotiator.

Before the decision was reached, Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, whose country holds the EU's rotating presidency, had expressed concern that some leaders were ready to opt for lowest common denominator candidates.

He said a number of his fellow foreign ministers fear "certain heads of government are leaning towards a minimal solution for the presidency question, which could reduce our chance of having a clear voice in the world.

"This could mean -- from our point of view -- missing a historic occasion," he wrote on his Internet blog.

Certainly the choices signal the level of ambition that the leaders have for the European project, which from next month when the EU's reforming Lisbon Treaty, which creates the posts, comes into being.

The treaty as a while is aimed at speeding up decision-making and improving the EU's image abroad.

Sensing the tide of opinion was against former prime minister Blair -- an extremely high-profile candidate whose support of the Iraq war helped divide Europe in 2003 -- British Prime Minister Gordon Brown changed tack.

"As it became clear that the chances for a Blair presidency were declining the prime minister made the decisive intervention in this meeting, to ensure that the high representative role is going to be a British representative," a Downing Street spokesman said.

Van Rompuy, 62, was the favourite going in, as the leaders looked for a president capable of working behind the scenes to build consensus among countries and the EU's main institutions -- the council of nations for the 27 member states, the European Commission and the European parliament.

"Our discussions on internal arrangements are now completed for the forseeable future. We must now get on with the job of Europe working with the new Lisbon Treaty to the best effect," Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen said.

Extra informal summit