Profile: Herman Van Rompuy: EU's new president
Herman Van Rompuy, Belgium's reluctant prime minister, is an unexpected first President of the European Union. Balding, short in stature, slight of build and self-effacing, the 62-year Flemish Christian Democrat economist is no European George Washington. Kristen Hemmerechts, a well known Flemish essayist, has compared his looks to the Extra-Terrestrial film character made famous by Steven Spielberg. "I can't look at a picture of him without thinking: ET," she wrote recently. A year ago, Mr Van Rompuy was drifting towards retirement before he was plucked from obscurity by King Albert II in one the periodic crises that threaten to split...
Original Article: Forum: News/Activism
Tags: Albert Ii, Christian Democrat, Economist, Essayist, European Union, Film Character, First President, Flemish, George Washington, Herman Van Rompuy, King Albert Ii, Kristen, New President, Obscurity, Periodic Crises, Prime Minister, Retirement, Stature, Steven Spielberg, X27