Donald Tusk to head European Council

01.09.2014 //

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk was elected president of the European Council at the EU summit on Saturday. He will replace Herman Van Rompuy as of December 1, 2014.

“I come to Brussels from a country that strongly believes in a united Europe,” Tusk said after the appointment was announced.

“I am aware that the [EU's] main problems will not disappear by December,” he added. They include the crisis in the euro zone and I know that this is not just a challenge related to currency, but to the issue of Europeans’ fundamental trust toward the EU.”

Tusk also stressed that the bloc would carefully listen to the voice of the United Kingdom during his presidency. He also said that the EU would be able to help countries such as Ukraine only if it manages to agree on a common point of view.

The newly elected EU council head declined to say who he would see as his successor in Poland. He said he would be able to talk about Polish government issues early next week.

EU leaders also chose Italian Foreign Affairs Minister Federica Mogherini for the post of high representative for foreign affairs and security policy. Reports saw her Polish counterpart Radosław Sikorski as her main rival to the job.

Taken from: http://wbj.pl/