Spain vows to take backstage role as EU President

MADRID
SPAIN has vowed to take a backstage role during its stint as holder of the six-month rotating EU Presidency, saying the frontmen will be Herman Van Rompuy, the EU's first permanent President, and Catherine Ashton, the new High Representative for foreign affairs.

Miguel Angel Moratinos, Spanish foreign minister, has recently made it clear that Spain will only play a supporting role to the EU's new leaders.
Moratinos has explained that with the Lisbon Treaty now in force, Spain will take a step back on the EU scene and will provide full support to Europe's new leaders and institutions. “I would like to state it very clearly. The engagement of the Prime minister of Spain and of the entire Spanish government is that we have new European representatives who will lead, give momentum and will steer (the Union) through the first semester of 2010,” said Moratinos. “Spain will not abandon its responsibility... but we will do it with modesty, with discretion, through our work and our support.