Handover ceremony at the heard of the European Council
On 1st December, at the handover ceremony between the Presidents of the European Council (Heads of State and Government) :
- I have discovered the sense of humor of Herman Van Rompuy ... certainly too discreet.
- I have discovered a down-to-earth ceremony, the first since the Lisbon Treaty in 2009.
- The first speech of Donald Tusk, he outlines four key points on which the EU is due to be based to succeed :
- to protect its fundamental values, solidarity, freedoms and unity, against the eurosceptics and our enemies abroad, because history is back according to him ;
- to fight against economic and financial crisis, the euro is an advantage, he said ;
- to strengthen the EU's influence internationally, to help countries that share our values ;
- to ensure good relations with the United States this year will be crucial, he added.
To go further, see on my blog (in french) :
- The Presidents of the EU, their mandate and role, the functioning of the EU.