SHAHEEN APPLAUDS SELECTION OF EUROPEAN UNION LEADERS

(Washington, DC)-U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen, Chairwoman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on European Affairs, today released the following statement on the selection of Belgian Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy as the first President of the European Union and British Baroness Catherine Ashton as the EU's High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

"From international security and geopolitical crises to climate change and the global economy, the relationship between the United States and Europe touches nearly every critical challenge before us today.  A robust transatlantic relationship will be vital to global stability and progress, and I look forward to working with the European Union's new leadership in the coming years on these important issues."