Lisbon also combined the posts of European Commissioner for External Relations with the council's High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy. This post, also a Vice-President of the Commission, would chair the Council of the European Union's foreign affairs meetings as well as the commission's external relations duties. The treaty further provides that the most recent European elections should be ""taken into account"" when appointing the President of the European Commission, and although they are still proposed by the European Council; the European Parliament ""elects"" candidates to the office, rather than ""approves"" them as under the Treaty of Nice.