The EU has appointed Belgian Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy and Briton Baroness Catherine Ashton as the first European Council (EC) president and foreign affairs high representative, respectively.

The selection of Rompuy and Ashton has been met with a mixed response. While the US has welcomed the appointments, other nations have criticised the selection and argued that both candidates are little known and are not recognised on an international scale. This may contradict the EC president’s role, which until now has been described as a role that will help the EU compete with the global market.

According to BBC reporter Jonny Dymond based in Brussels, the president’s overall role will be less important than first thought. Furthermore, potential EU member states like Turkey have already put forward their concern over Rompuy’s views on Turkey’s desire to join the EU. Turkish Member of Parliament Onur Oymen said: ‘A few years ago he was totally against Turkish membership because of religious and cultural reasons.’ Yet Rompuy recently stated that Europe’s wealth came from its immense diversity: ‘Even though our unity is our strength, our diversity remains our wealth.’

Rompuy has stated that he will be ‘discreet’ in his new position and will prioritise two main issues that need addressing in the EU: high unemployment rates and climate change.

Ashton appeared to be surprised and delighted after being appointed and stated that she would follow a ‘quiet diplomacy’ ethos as Europe’s first ever foreign minister. Britain’s newspapers do not seem to have welcomed Ashton and believe she is not appropriate for the role considering her previous employment history.

The Guardian’s Michael White states that Ashton’s experience mostly involved quasi job roles or non-governmental roles, ‘Her career started with a two-year stint at CND…it went on to mature into the sort of career thousands of decent public-sector Britons would recognise in their own lives: social work, disability issues…a world of quangos’ said White.

Despite two weeks of disagreement between the EU governments involved in the selection process, agreement was reached quickly at yesterday’s summit. José Manuel Barroso, president of the European Commission, stated his belief that Britain had to remain at the centre of the EU’s project.