The European Union's first president Herman Van Rompuy and its new foreign affairs chief took office Tuesday, as the Lisbon Treaty came into force amid concerns at such low-profile leaders for Europe.
Detractors have voiced doubts over whether Van Rompuy and foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, a British peer and formerly EU trade commissioner, were the dream ticket to lead Europe and stand shoulder to shoulder with the likes of the United States and China. But speaking at a ceremony in the Portuguese capital, the former Belgian prime minister promised a new era for the 27-member bloc. "We are leading today a new phase in the construction of Europe," he said.
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The Lisbon Treaty has come into force and EU leaders travelled to the Portuguese capital for a ceremony to mark the occasion.
The main goal of the treaty is to reform how the EU functions, including voting rights, now it has been expanded to 27 members.
Talks on reforming European institutions began in 2001 but it has been a difficult process trying to get all member states to agree to the details. All EU countries had to ratify the text before it could be adopted, and the Czech Republic was the last country to do that.
The treaty created a permanent “president” and foreign affairs “chief”. Critics, however, fear a loss of national power to Brussels and there has been a big debate on whether the EU is democratic enough.
AFP-Euronews
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