who is the president of the european union 2011?
Jerzy Buzek
contradiction
 The Treaty of Lisbon made the European Council a formal institution distinct from the ( ordinary ) Council of the EU , and created the present longer term and full @-@ time presidency . As an outgrowth of the Council of the EU , the European Council had previously followed the same Presidency , rotating between each member state . While the Council of the EU retains that system , the European Council established , with no change in powers , a system of appointing an individual ( without them being a national leader ) for a two @-@ and @-@ a @-@ half @-@ year term - which can be renewed for the same person only once . Following the ratification of the treaty in December 2009 , the European Council elected the then @-@ Prime Minister of Belgium Herman Van Rompuy as its first permanent president ( resigning from Belgian Prime Minister ) . 

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 = = = = President of the European Council = = = = 

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 European Union – On 8 August , France ( who held the rotating presidency of the European Union ) announced that the EU and the US would send a joint delegation to negotiate a ceasefire . 

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 However , under Barroso , the Commission began to lose ground to the larger member states as countries such as France , the UK and Germany sought to sideline its role . This has increased with the creation of the President of the European Council under the Treaty of Lisbon . There has also been a greater degree of politicisation within the Commission . 

entailment
 European Union : Herman Van Rompuy , President of the European Council , and Jose Manuel Barroso stated that they salute the decision of Croatian voters . They stated that EU membership will bring Croatia new opportunities and contribute to its stability and prosperity . 
