Brian Cowen officially took over from Bertie Ahern as Ireland's Prime Minister on Wednesday and promised to make Ireland's place in the European Union a top priority, starting with the next month's referendum on the Lisbon Treaty.
Cowen, the former Finance Minister, took the reins of power this week after winning a 88-76 vote in Dail Eireann, Ireland's parliament, and receiving his seal of office from President Mary McAleese.
He wasted no time in naming his new cabinet, with Brian Lenihan moving up to succeed Cowen at the Finance Department, and Mary Coughlan taking the Enterprise, Trade and Employment job from Micheál Martin, who was named the Foreign Minister.
In a speech to the Dail following his election, Cowen noted that Ireland's recent economic success owes much to the strength of its relationship with the United States, both through inward investment and bilateral trade. However, he stressed that securing Ireland's role as a prominent player with the EU was of equal importance, and that he would be pursuing this actively.
"As a member of the European Council, I will strive to ensure that our European vocation is a live, engaged and creative thing, not a passive recipient of the fruits of the labours of others," he told the assembly.
"In the same spirit, I look forward to leading a campaign over coming weeks to assure the Irish people that ratification of the European Reform Treaty. Far from damaging our interests, the Treaty will enhance our capacity to shape developments in line with our own perspectives and principles. There is no more urgent or important task ahead of me," he emphasised.
Ireland is the only EU member state which is holding a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty, which replaces the draft European Constitution rejected by French and Dutch voters in 2005.However, a victory for the 'no' campaign - and recent polls suggest that this is increasingly likely - would be an early blow to Cowen's new government.
Cowen succeeded Bertie Ahern after the long-standing former Prime Minister resigned over an ongoing investigation into his tax affairs and personal finances, which he said was "threatening to dominate the political agenda".
Cowen was named last year by Ahern as his preferred successor, and is perhaps the most widely experienced and able of the currently-serving ministers, having served as the head of six government departments since 1992.
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