Brown: UK interests protected by EU roles
Gordon Brown says Britain will remain at heart of Europe after Catherine Ashton named as EU's foreign policy chief
Friday, 20, Nov 2009 05:17
By Matthew Champion.
Britain will remain at the heart of Europe and its interests on the continent will be protected with the selection of Catherine Ashton as the EU's foreign policy chief, Gordon Brown has said.
Baroness Ashton, who spent eight years as a minister before replacing Peter Mandelson as EU trade commissioner last year, was last night chosen as the European Council's high representative for foreign affairs.
Her appointment was announced last night after a summit of EU leaders in Brussels that saw Belgian prime minister Herman van Rompuy chosen as the first-ever president of the European Council.
Mr Van Rompuy was chosen as a compromise candidate after Britain dropped its longstanding insistence the job go to former prime minister Tony Blair.
Although Mr Blair had never officially thrown his hat into the ring Downing St had thrown its full backing behind his 'bid' for the president's job.
However, the key powers of France and Germany were unhappy with such a high-profile and potentially polarising appointment.
As a part last night's deal Baroness Ashton became the bloc's foreign affairs chief after Mr Brown forced socialist allies in the EU to agree that if the UK could not put Mr Blair into power then the foreign affairs role, once earmarked for foreign secretary David Miliband, would go to a Briton.
Both Mr Van Rompuy and Baroness Ashton are relative unknowns with little or no foreign policy experience.
However they represent the perfect balance the EU was seeking; leaders had aimed for one of the roles to go to a larger member of the EU and the other a smaller country. It was also hoped that the president would be a centre-right politician and the high representative for foreign affairs hail from the centre-left.
Mr Brown said Baroness Ashton's appointment would ensure Britain's voice was heard "very loud and clear" on the European stage.
"It will ensure that we will remain, as I want us to be, at the heart of Europe. In this role, Cathy Ashton will have a unique role over the next five years in shaping the global Europe of the future," the prime minister said.
"She will be the first permanent chair of the European Union foreign affairs council, she will represent Europe on the world stage in negotiations with the United States, China, India, Russia and other countries, and she will be a vice president of the European Commission giving her a leading voice on all the Commission's proposals."
Baroness Ashton herself added: "I will make sure I represent our values across the world, and I will endeavour to do in my own way the best that I can."
Mr Brown praised the "integrity and resolve" of Mr Van Rompuy, whose elevation was also welcomed by the Conservatives.
Shadow foreign secretary William Hague said: "I am very pleased that those of us across Europe who said that the president should be a chairman, not a chief, have won the argument."
Last night's appointments mark the end of years of speculation since the aborted EU treaty was first mooted. Its successor the Lisbon Treaty will finally come into law on December 1st.