Ashton confirmed as EU trade commissioner

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Britain's Catherine Ashton has been confirmed by EU governments as the new European trade commissioner following the resignation of Peter Mandelson last week, the European Commission said Monday.

Her appointment was confirmed by EU ministers and she assumes her duties immediately, a statement said. She will soon appear in front of the trade committee of the European Parliament. Mandelson resigned to join the British cabinet as business secretary.

"I am delighted and very proud to have been asked to serve as commissioner, to be a part of the European response to the global challenges we face," Ashton, who had been leader of the UK House of Lords, said in the statement.

"I look forward to setting out my views to EU member states and the European Parliament very soon," she said.

(Reporting by Dale Hudson, editing by Paul Taylor)