New EU president has trouble being heard

(BRUSSELS) - When the European Union has trouble making itself heard it may be the fault of a watered-down line or the dreaded eurospeak. However sometimes a simple technical glitch is enough.

New EU president Herman Van Rompuy making his grand entrance onto the international stage at an EU summit on Thursday found the gremlins conspiring against him.

The problems started even before the Brussels summit did.

Accompanied by EU Commission hgead Jose Manuel Barroso Van Rompuy strode out onto the steps of the listed Bibliotheque Solvay, a spot well-known to the former Belgian PM, to make a much-awaited declaration on Greece's budget woes.

Braving the freezing cold Van Rompuy read the statement first in English, then French, as a howling wind took the word away from the ears of the waiting press.

After the completed his crucial task, a technician approached the new EU Council president to explain that he was standing too far from the microphone.

Cue a second take. Alas, this time the microphone was too close, causing howling feedback.

This left Van Rompuy speaking, sotto voce, into Barroso's ear.

"I'll just read it English. I'm catching a cold," he said in comments well picked up and amplified.

The message finally delivered the pair retired to the safety and relative warmth of the 100-plus year old library.

At the end of the meeting Van Rompuy, who had kept a low profile since being handed the job in December, came to present the results of the endeavours of the 27 assembled heads of state and government at his first end-of-summit press conference.

His spokesman grandly welcomed the media. "The press conference of the first informal meeting of the heads and states or governments of the EU under the Lisbon Treaty."

"Good afternoon mesdames et messieurs It's a pleasure to see..." Van Rompuy intoned before his voice disappeared again.

"Isn't it working?" he asked as Barroso tapped the offending microphone and the serried ranks of interpreters got increasingly concerned.

"Shall I speak in a masculine voice?" he added.

"Shall I start anyway?" the new voice of Europe asked.

""It's a pleasure to see you..." he said.