The European Council decided on September 30th to elect Donald Tusk as President of the European Council, and to appoint Federica Mogherini as High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

The President of the European Council is elected for the period from 1 December 2014 until 31 May 2017. The mandate of two and a half years of the President of the European Council is renewable once. Donald Tusk was also appointed President of the Euro Summit, for the same period.

The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy is appointed for the period from the end of the current term of office of the Commission until 31 October 2019.

The appointment was made in agreement with the President-elect of the Commission.

The President of the Commission, the High Representative and the other members of the Commission will be subject as a body to a vote of consent by the European Parliament.

More information on the role of the President of the European Council: http://www.european-council.europa.eu/the-president/the-presidents-role?lang=en

More information on the role of the High Representative: http://eeas.europa.eu/index_en.htm

CVs of Donald Tusk and of Federica Mogherini

Donald Tusk

Donald Tusk has been Prime Minister of Poland since 16 November 2007. Born on 22 April 1957 in Gdańsk. He is a graduate in history from the Faculty of Humanities of the University of Gdańsk, where he was also one of the creators of the Students Solidarity Committee. He cooperated with Free Trade Unions of the Coast area and was a co-founder of the Independent Students’ Association in Gdańsk, as well as head of “Solidarity” at the Wydawnictwo Morskie publishing house and a journalist of the “Samorządność” weekly, published by the trade union. For seven years, he earned his living as a worker in the “Świetlik” co-operative. In the elections of 1997, he became a Senator running on behalf of the Freedom Union (UW), and served as Deputy Marshal (Speaker) of the Upper House. He was also a Deputy Marshal of the Sejm in the years 2001-2005 and Member of the Lower House in its 1st, 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th term. Since April 2003, he has been the chairman of the Civic Platform party. Married with two children: daughter Katarzyna and son Michał.

Federica Mogherini

Federica Mogherini is the Italian Minister for Foreign Affairs since February 2014. She is a Member of the Italian Parliament (Chamber of Deputies) where she was elected for the first time in 2008. In her parliamentary capacity, she has been the Head of the Italian Delegation to the Nato Parliamentary Assembly and Vice-president of its Political Committee (2013-2014); member of the Italian Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (2008-2013); Secretary of the Defence Committee (2008-2013) and member of the Foreign Affairs Committee. She also coordinated the Inter-Parliamentary Group for Development Cooperation. She has been in the leadership of the Democratic Party since it was founded, in 2007: first as Secretary for Institutional Reforms, then as a member of the National Council, and in 2013-2014 as Secretary for European and International Affairs.

Previously she was a member of the Bureau of PES (Party of European Socialists), Vice-president of the European Community Organisation of Socialist Youth (ECOSY), member of the Bureau of the European Youth Forum, and a member of the Secretariat of the Youth Forum of the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO). She is member of IAI – Istituto Affari Internazionali, of the Council for the United States and Italy and a fellow of the German Marwill Fund for the United States. Also she is a member of the European Leadership Network for Multilateral Nuclear Disarmament and Non-Proliferation (ELN) and of the Group of Eminent Persons (GEM) of the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO).

She was born in Rome in 1973 and graduated in Political Science at the University of Rome “La Sapienza”. She is fluent in English and French, and has a good understanding of Spanish. Married to Matteo and mother of two daughters, Caterina and Marta.