Herman Van Rompuy
Former President of the European Council
Title
The EU: challenges for the next five years
Bio
Herman Van Rompuy was as the first full-time President of the European Council, elected for the first time in November 2009 and serving two terms until November 2014. During his time as president he strived for unity and worked hard to build trust among the member states to create prosperity for all of Europe. Before joining the European political stage, he was the Prime Minister of Belgium (2008-2009). Herman van Rompuy holds a bachelor's degree in Philosophy and a master's degree in applied economics from the University of Leuven. After his studies he worked as an economist at the Belgian National Bank.