The European Union (EU) is an important partner or interlocutor of the United States on a large number of global political and economic issues. The EU is also a complex, multi-layered entity whose structure and institutional dynamics are not always clearly understood in Washington, DC (or in Europe, for that matter). Some Members of the U.S. Congress and other U.S. officials regularly meet with their counterparts from EU institutions and national governments of EU member countries. Just as many Europeans are admittedly unclear about the role of the Congress in U.S. foreign policy, Americans often express confusion about the exact role of a particular EU official or institution, or about how EU institutions relate to one another. Take, for example, the term "president": in the EU today, there is a President of the European Council, a President of the European Commission, a President of the European Parliament, and a rotating country presidency of the EU that has a corresponding national president or prime minister. U.S. officials dealing with the European Union may still wonder, "who should we be talking to?" or even "who am I talking to?" To complicate matters further, the EU is also an entity whose institutional arrangements and governance structure remain in a state of evolution following the entrance into force of the Lisbon Treaty, the EU's latest institutional reform effort. In early 2010, President Obama announced that he was not planning to attend the U.S.-EU Summit that was expected to be held in late May 2010 in Madrid, Spain. The U.S. State Department indicated at the time that confusion caused by changes to the EU's leadership and governance arrangements resulting from the Lisbon Treaty had contributed to the decision. This episode reflected a wider lack of clarity in the United States about the implications of the Lisbon Treaty on EU leadership, and in particular on the status of the EU's "rotating presidency," the role of the EU's new "permanent president," and the role of other EU actors involved in representing the European Union on the world stage. On December 1, 2009, following a lengthy process of ratification by each of the 27 member states, the EU adopted the Lisbon Treaty. The treaty introduces reforms intended to remedy perceived shortcomings in the EU's institutional arrangements and decision-making procedures—it aims to create a more cohesive and coherent EU capable of assuming a stronger global role; to streamline EU decision-making; and to increase transparency and democratic accountability. Changes introduced by the Lisbon Treaty have a significant impact on the leadership of the European Council, the Council of Ministers, and the EU's rotating presidency system. The European Council and the Council of Ministers are two separate but related institutions of the European Union. The similar names of these entities frequently lead to confusion. The official name of the Council of Ministers is the Council of the European Union; it is often referred to as "the Council." The European Council consists of the leaders (the heads of state and/or government) of the 27 EU member states plus the President of the European Commission. The European Council meets at least four times per year—its meetings are commonly termed "EU summits." The European Council does not adopt legislation or legal texts: the conclusions published after each meeting define general political guidelines for the EU. The institution provides high-level political direction for EU policy-making and a forum for working out consensus on difficult problems and broad strategic issues. The Council of Ministers is the main decision-making body of the EU: it enacts legislation, usually based on proposals put forward by the European Commission. A minister from each member country takes part in Council meetings, with participation configured according to the subject under consideration (e.g., foreign ministers would meet to discuss the Middle East, agriculture ministers to discuss farm subsidies). There are currently 10 different configurations under which the Council of Ministers meets. Most decisions are made by a formula of Qualified Majority Voting (QMV), but some areas—such as foreign and defense policy or accepting new members—require unanimity. Many Council decisions also require the joint consent of the European Parliament. Every six months—on January 1 and July 1 of each year—the "EU Presidency" rotates among the member states. The presidency rotates in a pre-determined order designed to alternate between big and small countries, and between older and newer members. Prior to the adoption of the Lisbon Treaty, the rotating presidency applied to both the European Council and the Council of Ministers. The leader of the presidency country chaired the European Council for six months, seeking to forge political consensus and shape the EU agenda. He or she also assumed an enhanced role in representing the EU externally, alongside the President of the Commission and the High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy. At the same time, ministers of the presidency country would chair the meetings of the Council of Ministers, leading in the meetings and configurations relevant to their portfolio. During the debate over ratification, it was widely repeated that the Lisbon Treaty would "replace" the EU's rotating presidency system with the creation of a new, permanent "EU President." In fact, this assertion grew to become a fairly common misconception. The rotating presidency system continues in a modified format. The treaty creates the new position of President of the European Council, who replaces the leader of the presidency country in that role. Meanwhile, the rotating country presidency retains considerable responsibility in managing the work of the Council of Ministers, and continues to have an important role in helping to set priorities for the EU agenda. As noted above, the Lisbon Treaty creates the new position of President of the European Council to chair the meetings of the 27 EU heads of state or government. The President is elected by the member states for a term of two-and-a-half years, renewable once. Some had envisioned this position as a driver of EU policy, a heavyweight presidential figure who would command a high degree of international visibility. In choosing former Belgian Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy, however, EU leaders have initially defined this position as more of a manager who will coordinate the activities of the Council, help ensure policy continuity, and work to facilitate consensus. According to some analysts, the choice of Van Rompuy confirms that even as its members pursue a stronger and more integrated EU, considerations of national influence and prestige remain key: leaders from both large and small countries sought to avoid establishing a powerful President who might overshadow or marginalize their own roles. Nevertheless, the intention of the treaty is that Von Rompuy is now expected to represent the EU externally as its spokesman on political issues and as the main EU interlocutor for foreign leaders at international summits. Van Rompuy is not a well-known international statesman, and will have to work hard at it if he is to gain visibility on the global stage. The Lisbon Treaty also creates another important new position to boost the EU's international visibility: High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, which some observers have labeled "EU foreign minister." Former EU Trade Commissioner Catherine Ashton was appointed for the first five-year term of this new position. Some were surprised at this choice, citing Ashton's relative lack of foreign policy experience. Ashton is now the EU's chief diplomat, exercising the former responsibilities of the Council of Ministers' High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy (formerly Javier Solana) and the Commissioner for External Relations (formerly Benita Ferrero-Waldner), who oversaw the EU's foreign aid and development policies. The new High Representative is therefore be an agent of the Council of Ministers and holds the title of a Vice President of the European Commission, an institutional adjustment intended to impart greater coherence by marrying the EU's political and economic clout in one powerful new office. The High Representative is to have extensive staff support with the creation of a new EU diplomatic corps called the European External Action Service. Within the Council of Ministers, Ashton, rather than the foreign minister of the presidency country, now chairs the meetings of the member state foreign ministers that are held under the Foreign Affairs configuration. The other nine configurations are to continue to be chaired by the relevant ministers of the rotating country presidency. The General Affairs configuration—which considers "general policy questions" and works to ensure continuity in the overall work of the Council—is chaired by the foreign minister of the rotating country presidency. Prior to the Lisbon Treaty, General Affairs and External Relations had been combined in one Council configuration. Many of the day-to-day duties of the presidency country continue as before the Lisbon Treaty. The presidency country is expected to work with the new President of the European Council to help prepare and arrange EU summits and summits between the EU and other countries. It is expected to continue preparing, arranging, and chairing the meetings of the Council of Ministers, other than in the Foreign Affairs configuration. This responsibility includes working in the Council of Ministers to forge agreement on legislative proposals. The presidency country is also expected to continue setting out a few broad policy priorities for its tenure. In the past, such priorities have often been coupled with the launch of strategic initiatives that have covered a wide range of topics such as international security and development issues, economic and trade matters, judicial affairs, social policy, and issues specific to particular regions such as the Mediterranean, the Baltic, or the EU's eastern neighbors. Advocates of the Lisbon Treaty express hope that the new arrangements will have a considerable impact in this context. The President of the European Council is charged with ensuring greater continuity, coherence, and consistency in EU policies. In the past, analysts have asserted that the rotating presidency system made the EU too susceptible to frequent shifts in focus, as successive presidencies chose to emphasize their own preferred initiatives and priorities. Van Rompuy is to impart a longer-term view as he works with the presidency countries to set and manage the EU agenda.