Italian FM Mogherini appointed as EU foreign policy chief

"The European Council has appointed FM Federica Mogherini as the next EU High Representative," Herman Van Rompuy, the current President of the European Council, said on his twitter.

EU leaders met in Brussels on Saturday evening to elect the next president of the European Council and to appoint the EU's new foreign policy chief.

Last month, EU leaders failed to agree on candidates for the two top EU jobs.

The 41-year-old Italian top diplomat has been said too "soft" on Russian stance and too "inexperienced" for the job, as she was only appointed foreign minister in February, according to Xinhua.

But, given that the new EU commission chief is centre-right Jean-Claude Juncker, one of the other two posts should go to a Social Democrat and a woman. The centre-left Italian foreign minister was appointed as a balance of gender and political powers on the distribution of EU top posts.

The EU's foreign policy chief, with one term of five years, is responsible for coordinating the bloc's common foreign and security policy and contributes to the development of that policy.

Meanwhile, the position is also a holder of the European Commission's vice-president, who ensures the consistency of the Union's external action, according to the EU rules.

EU leaders appointed Catherine Ashton as High Representative in November 2009. She will step down when the current Commission's term ends on Oct. 31.