THE TEEGRAPH: Herman Van Rompuy and Baroness Ashton have been named the European Union's new president and foreign minister.
The little-known Belgian federalist and the Labour peer who has never held elected office were selected at a meeting in Brussels.
EU leaders chose the Belgian prime minister as the first President of the European Council. Britain's European Trade Commissioner was made the High Representative for Foreign Affairs.
The surprise combination emerged after Gordon Brown ended Tony Blair's hopes of becoming president, abandoning his support for his successor and proposing Baroness Ashton for the foreign job instead.
The Prime Minister's switch surprised European leaders, not least because of Baroness Ashton's lack of diplomatic experience.
A former health authority chairwoman made a peer in 1999, she held a string of low-key ministerial posts until last year when she was sent to Brussels as an interim replacement for Lord Mandelson on his return to the Cabinet.
Mr Van Rompuy is a poetry-writing economist almost entirely unknown outside Belgium until he emerged as EU leaders' choice for a president who could not possibly overshadow national leaders.
A staunch advocate of European integration, he has backed policies including a European-wide tax on all financial transactions to fund EU work. >>> James Kirkup and Bruno Waterfield in Brussels | Thursday, November 19, 2009
TIMES ONLINE: The EU appointed Herman Van Rompuy, the Belgian Prime Minister, and the British Trade Commissioner, Baroness Ashton of Upholland, to the two newly created posts of President and High Representative tonight, hours after Downing Street confirmed it had abandoned its support for Tony Blair.
Gordon Brown joined the seven other European socialist group leaders in backing Mr Van Rompuy and Lady Ashton after accepting that there was too little support for Mr Blair to be president.
Downing Street's U-turn was a humiliating snub to Mr Blair, Mr Brown's predecessor, who had hoped to take the plum role, but was opposed by key EU leaders who feared he would be too presidential. >>> Jenny Mills, Philip Webster and David Charter | Thursday, November 19, 2009
NZZ ONLINE: EU-Spitzenposten für Van Rompuy und Ashton: Staatschefs der Europäischen Union einig >>> sda | Donnerstag, 19. November 2009
NZZ ONLINE: Porträt von Herman Van Rompuy – Bekannt im eigenen Land als Streitschlichter: Herman Van Rompuy wird erster EU-Ratspräsident >>> sda/afp/dpa/apa | Donnerstag, 19. November 2009
NZZ ONLINE: Biographie von Catherine Ashton – Geschickte Verhandlungsführerin: Britische Ökonomin Ashton wird neue EU-«Aussenministerin» >>> sda/afp/apa | Donnerstag, 19. November 2009
LE FIGARO: Les Vingt-Sept donnent un président à l'Europe >>> Claire Gallen, Bruxelles | Jeudi 19 Novembre 2009
