Franco is dead!!! Well, 34 years ago that's what Spaniards were cheering about...Today, we have a new brand President for Europe...Federalism in the house of Brussels! National Sovereignty IS NOT DEAD and is compatible with the construction of the EU. Fr

 
> Date: Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:44:57 +0000
> From: noreply@guardian.co.uk
> To: rolli2006@hotmail.com
> Subject: [From: Raquel Sertaje] Profile: Herman Van Rompuy, Belgium's Mr Fixit
>
> Raquel Sertaje spotted this on the guardian.co.uk site and thought you should see it.
>
> To see this story with its related links on the guardian.co.uk site, go to http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/nov/19/herman-van-rompuy-eu-president
>
> Profile: Herman Van Rompuy, Belgium's Mr Fixit
>
> Ian Traynor in Brussels
> Friday November 20 2009
> The Guardian
>
>
> http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/nov/19/herman-van-rompuy-eu-president
>
>
>
>
> Herman Van Rompuy, Belgium's centre-right prime minister, pulled off the coup of a long political career tonightby ascending to the post of president of the European Council, the new summiteering role established by the Lisbon treaty.
>
> Known as Belgium's Mr Fixit for his low-key, patient work behind the scenes struggling to hold a fractious country together, Van Rompuy won the bad-tempered contest for the role by making friends and influencing people.
>
> He has been a fixture in Roman Catholic and Christian Democratic politics for decades, but he shuns the limelight, appears ascetic and austere, and prefers to conduct his politics away from public gaze. Derided by British Europhobes as "Rumpypumpy", the obscure embodiment of an elitist EU mafia bent on demolishing the nation state, Van Rompuy owed his extraordinary triumph to strong support from Berlin and Paris and to the fact that he has not been around EU summits long enough to make any enemies.
>
> A classicist and economist by education and an alumnus of Belgium's ancient Catholic University of Leuven, Van Rompuy is a committed European federalist, a position that suits the core and oldest EU member states, but raises many eyebrows among east Europeans, Scandinavians, and, of course, the British.
>
> "Europe has no use for iconoclasts, the old continent is crying out for calm steadfastness," De Standaard, the leading Flemish newspaper, writes tomorrow of the unlikely victory for Van Rompuy. "He will soon be the first president of Europe. Never in his wildest dreams could the Christian Democrat have thought the best was yet to come."
>
> Van Rompuy has been prime minister of Belgium for less than a year, summoned last December by King Albert II, to try to salvage a country plagued by tensions between Dutch-speaking Flanders to the north and Francophone Wallonia to the south.
>
> Previously, the king had employed Van Rompuy as the key intermediary cajoling the two alienated halves of the country into shortlived coalitions.
>
> In an EU that prizes consensus, compromise and operates as a supranational coalition of different countries, interests, and political forces, Van Rompuy's talents for persuasion and conciliation look to be his prime qualifications for the job of chairing EU summits and trying to harmonise the EU agenda. His appointment frustrated those eager to show greater European muscle abroad by giving the job to a household name like Tony Blair. The criticism is that in an international crisis, Van Rompuy does not have the stature to stand alongside Barack Obama, Vladimir Putin, or Hu Jintao and that Europe will be relegated to the second division of international powers.
>
> Van Rompuy enjoys a reputation for self-deprecating wit. The appearance of modesty is said to mask steely determination, sharp intelligence, and strongly held views which he seldom reveals. He does not suffer fools and can be withering in private about political opponents, say Belgian sources.
>
> Van Rompuy writes haiku in his native Dutch, and speaks French, English, and German. He is said to take himself off to a monastic retreat once a month. He is credited with easing the tensions which were threatening to tear Belgium apart last year, although he has accomplished that simply by putting off some of the biggest decisions which are the sources of the rancour.
>
> In his prime role as chair of EU summits, he is likely to be more the servant of European national leaders rather than their master, another factor in his success.
>
>
> If you have any questions about this email, please contact the guardian.co.uk user help desk: userhelp@guardian.co.uk.
>
>
> guardian.co.uk Copyright (c) Guardian News and Media Limited. 2009
> Registered in England and Wales No. 908396
> Registered office: Number 1 Scott Place, Manchester M3 3GG
>
> Please consider the environment before printing this email.
> ------------------------------------------------------------------
> Visit guardian.co.uk - the UK's most popular newspaper website
> http://guardian.co.uk http://observer.co.uk
>
> To save up to 33% when you subscribe to the Guardian and the Observer visit
> http://www.guardian.co.uk/subscriber
>
> The Guardian Public Services Awards 2009, in partnership with
> Hays Specialist Recruitment, recognise and reward outstanding
> performance from public, private and voluntary sector teams.
>
> To find out more and to nominate a deserving team or individual, visit
> http://guardian.co.uk/publicservicesawards. Entries close 17th July.
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> This e-mail and all attachments are confidential and may also
> be privileged. If you are not the named recipient, please notify
> the sender and delete the e-mail and all attachments immediately.
> Do not disclose the contents to another person. You may not use
> the information for any purpose, or store, or copy, it in any way.
>
> Guardian News & Media Limited is not liable for any computer
> viruses or other material transmitted with or as part of this
> e-mail. You should employ virus checking software.
>
> Guardian News & Media Limited
> A member of Guardian Media Group PLC
> Registered Office
> Number 1 Scott Place, Manchester M3 3GG
> Registered in England Number 908396
>

---