Word: lisbon
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...become household names, but today, most Europeans will be scratching their heads at the decision by the E.U.'s 27 leaders to anoint Van Rompuy and Ashton to the organization's top two jobs. After all, the positions, which were created by the E.U.'s newly ratified Lisbon Treaty, were supposed to give a voice and a face to Europe on the world stage...
There was more to the choice of Van Rompuy and Ashton than their individual qualities. In the classic European tradition of horse-trading, the E.U. tried to balance out the top jobs according to political background, geography and gender. Indeed, the Lisbon Treaty states that the two jobs - and that of the European Commission President - have to take account of "the geographical and demographic diversity of the Union...
...many, the behind-the-scenes negotiations run counter to the Lisbon Treaty, which is meant to make the E.U. a more efficient, transparent and democratic system. Former Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga, one of the few declared candidates for the presidency, said last week that the machinations over the top jobs could ultimately damage the new leaders' authority. "The E.U. should stop working like the former Soviet Union ... in darkness and behind closed doors," she said...
...time, the E.U. may well develop the structures for a more democratic process. Under the Lisbon Treaty, the new President will have a term of 2½ years. If the person selected by E.U. leaders on Thursday wants to run again, there will undoubtedly be pressure for him or her to present a platform of ideas. The new E.U. Foreign Minister must be approved by a vote of the European Parliament, and members may also take that opportunity to grill the candidate on his or her foreign policy agenda. (Read "A Treaty Ratified, the E.U. Turns to Picking Its Leader...
...their party wins next year's general elections in Britain, but also to wrest back political and economic powers previously ceded to Brussels. The pledges by Conservative leader David Cameron came at the very moment E.U. integration took a huge step forward with the final ratification of the Lisbon Treaty earlier this month. (See pictures of French President Nicolas Sarkozy in London...