Herman Van Rompuy has one major advantage over his fellow new EU appointee Catherine Ashton. His job as President of the European Council is entirely new. There were few expectations, except that he should not be so bold as to try and steal the limelight from national leaders. And he had no predecessors. (Ashton, as EU foreign policy chief, has to contend with Javier Solana’s ‘tireless diplomat’ ghost.)

And despite being nominated by EU leaders in November, Van Rompuy did not officially take up the post until 1 January. He had his first major appearance at an informal summit that he convened almost six weeks later.

This has allowed the former Belgian PM to stroll into the job at his own pace. Quietly meeting leaders and assessing his first moves. His manner remains unassuming. First the weather and then a faulty microphone got the better of him during his two public appearances at the 11 February summit. And his speech delivery, despite flashes of  humour, is dry to say the least.

But it would be a mistake to dismiss him as a grey nobody, inclined only to do what member states want. Van Rompuy is also busy trying to make them do what he wants.

He himself counts among his achievements the fact that the political declaration in support of Greece after the summit was made in the EU’s name, and presented by him. Although naturally, Germany, and to a lesser extent France, were running the show behind the scenes.

And after the meeting he made sure to send around a letter to EU leaders outlining what he thought had been agreed at the summit. The letter contained eight points, largely to do with the EU’s future economic strategy. An impressive tally for a informal meeting that was both brief and largely dominated by the Greek crisis.

One of the points contained in the letter concerns Van Rompuy’s presence at the G20. Prior to the Lisbon Treaty coming into force, the EU council president’s attendance at G20 events was open to question. According to the treaty, the president represents the EU in CFSP issues only. The commission president, who attends G20 meetings, does everything else. But Van Rompuy promptly removed that question mark. He will be in Toronto too in June as he made clear in the letter and in a recent speech to European Parliament – a move that has apparently upset the British and unsettled the commission.

This is all part of a wider policy path laid out in a thoughtful speech Van Rompuy gave at the College of Europe in Bruges last week in which he said that more economic governance is the key to making the EU stronger internally and therefore globally. In addition, he suggests that pursing global economic governance through forums such as  the G20, noting that foreign economic policy is  likelier to give rise to a unified EU voice.

To  this end, he is hatching plans to have EU leaders meet more often – up to ten times a year. While member states are not cheering wildly at the prospect, there does appear to be a general willingness to gather more often (though perhaps not ten times) so long as the meetings are useful.

“I consider it the most daunting political task of the office of permanent President to help the Union
find its compass,” he said in Bruges.

Make no mistake about it, he has started trying.