EU president sends holiday greetings haiku

2010-12-22T18:30:43Z

EU President Herman Van Rompuy on Wednesday sent holiday greetings to Europeans in the form of a Japanese-style haiku, the mini-poems that the former Belgian prime minister is famed for writing.

"We must all work together to give people hope," Van Rompuy said in a video message wishing Europeans a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year. "May I say it with a haiku: Silence and joy/ From Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan brought along his own copy of EU president Herman Van Rompuy's haiku poems and had it autographed Monday.

A Japanese government spokesman, Noriyuki Shikata, told AFP that at bilateral EU-

EU president publishes Haiku poetry book

2010-06-12T07:58:04Z

Tough New EU job / Not well known and little loved / Shelter in Haiku

European Union President Herman van Rompuy published a book of Haiku on Thursday, saying the dreamy Japanese poetry offers relief from a chaotic world.

"Our time is in need of simplicity," Van Rompuy, 62, told friends at the Belgian parliament marking the publicatio...

EU president Van Rompuy presents book of haiku poems

2010-06-12T07:57:57Z

EU president Herman Van Rompuy on Thursday presented his first book of haikus, mini-poems in the Japanese style, promising to keep writing them despite his political commitments.

"The conciseness of haiku offers me the opportunity to penetrate the essence of words by expressing so much in so little space in an unaffected language," the former Belgian prime m...

EU's "Haiku Herman" launches first poetry book

2010-06-12T07:57:56Z

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The president of the European Union, Herman Van Rompuy, set aside politics to launch his first anthology of Japanese-style poetry on Thursday.

Dubbed "Haiku Herman" for his love of the 17-syllable Japanese verse form, the nor...

EU President Van Rompuy to publish book of poems

2010-06-12T07:57:31Z

EU President Van Rompuy, dubbed Haiku Herman, to publish book of poetry next month

Little known Belgian. Gets EU's highest office. Publishes poems.

EU President Herman Van Rompuy, known to some as Haiku Herman, will publish a book of poetry next month.

The former Belgian pr...

New EU president wins fans in Japan -- as a poet

2010-06-12T07:54:08Z

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Herman Van Rompuy, the European Union's new president, may not be very well known around the world but he's already winning fans in Japan -- as a poet rather than a politician.

Belgium EU India

2010-12-10T04:31:49Z

European Council President Herman Van Rompuy, left, directs Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, center, to shake hands with European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso during an EU-India summit ...

Belgium EU Summit

2010-10-28T05:00:26Z

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, left, and European Council President Herman Van Rompuy look through their papers during a pre-summit meeting at the EU Council building in Brussels on Thursday, Oct 28, 2010. European Union governments put...

Luxembourg EU Finance Ministers

2010-10-18T03:31:48Z

From left, French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde, European Council President Herman Van Rompuy, Spanish Finance Minister Elena Salgado and Greek Finance Minister George Papaconstantinou share a word during a round table meeting ...

Europe-Financial Crisis

2010-10-13T09:32:35Z

FILE - In this Thursday, Sept. 16, 2010 file photo European Council President Herman Van Rompuy speaks during a media conference after an EU summit in Brussels. After months of agonizing, leaders of the European Union are closing in on new oversight rules to ensure sound finances, prevent another government debt crisis and restore the credibility of the euro. But governments are starting t...

Belgium Europe Financial Crisis

2010-09-27T11:00:39Z

Belgian Finance Minister Didier Reynders, left, speaks with European Council President Herman Van Rompuy during a meeting the Financial Task Force of Economic Governance at the EU Council building in Brussels on Monday, Sept. 27, 2010. (AP Photo/

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