New EU President Herman Van Rompuy announced plans December 10 to streamline European Council meetings.

“Until now,” writes the EU Observer, “summits have been numerically weighty affairs—involving over 50 people including foreign ministers, and often resulting in impenetrable conclusions the length of a short novel.”

Van Rompuy wants only heads of state or government to attend these meetings on a regular basis. Other ministers, such as foreign ministers or finance ministers, may attend from time to time, depending on the subjects being discussed. This means that all of the national leaders in the European Union will be able to sit around one table, without having to try to talk to each other via a tv screen as they currently do.

The meetings’ conclusions must be “operative” as well “readable and visible,” says Van Rompuy.

Currently these meetings take place four times a year, but Van Rompuy wants to hold them more frequently. Fewer, more powerful politicians meeting more often should lead to more action and less bureaucracy.

Of course, even with just the national heads meeting, there will still be plenty of disagreements to slow down the process. But Van Rompuy’s changes should make Europe’s decision-making process less unwieldy.

As Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry said in his weekly television program recently, “January 2010 will mark the beginning of the final resurrection of the Holy Roman Empire.” With the Lisbon Treaty in force, the EU will “officially become the Holy Roman Empire,” he said. Van Rompuy’s streamlining must be seen in this context—his changes will help the European empire act more quickly and efficiently.

For more information on this empire, see Mr. Flurry’s November 22 Key of David episode, “The Holy Roman Empire Begins.”