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Herman Van Rompuy, surprise guest at the informal defense of Ghent

City of Ghent (credit: Belgian EU Presidency)

(BRUSSELS2) In the absence of the presence of Cathy Ashton, Pieter de Crem, the Belgian Defense Minister, will be able to count for the informal meeting of Defense Ministers, which begins today in Ghent, on a distinguished guest: Herman Van Rompuy, President of the European Council.

A rather exceptional presence: it is rare for a President of a European Council to attend an informal meeting of the Minister of Defence. It is true that the two men share the same political companionship, that of the CD&V, the Christian-Flemish party. Herman will attend the concert in St Bavo's Cathedral in Ghent, together with Prince Philippe.

The working dinner between ministers will start at 20:15 p.m. with Cathy Ashton, live from New York, via videoconference. And if that "doesn't work?", the Belgian presidency has planned a plan B. Will it be Van Rompuy who will take on the role of understudy for Cathy Ashton. This would have the merit of efficiency and also of showing that the new "external couple" resulting from the Lisbon Treaty could work differently than had been expected.

You can follow the official retransmissions of the meeting live (not the working meetings, we must not exaggerate...), on the website of the Belgian presidency.

To consult the timetable of the event, it is here.

(I'll be there in a few minutes...I'm running)

(Nicolas Gros-Verheyde)

Nicolas Gros Verheyde

Chief editor of the B2 site. Graduated in European law from the University of Paris I Pantheon Sorbonne and listener to the 65th session of the IHEDN (Institut des Hautes Etudes de la Défense Nationale. Journalist since 1989, founded B2 - Bruxelles2 in 2008. EU/NATO correspondent in Brussels for Sud-Ouest (previously West-France and France-Soir).

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