European Union leaders named Belgian Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy as the first "president of Europe". Herman Van Rompuy was professor at one of the merging partners from 1982 till 2008.

He taught the subject ‘Public finance and government policy’ in the Master in Business Administration.

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2009/11/19/bittermann.eu.president.cnn