The arrogance of these EU top brass and would-be top brass knows no
bounds. The Treaty providing for a president is not law and might
not ever become law
But they go ahead as if their word was law.
I venture to suggest that the British public would not readily back
such a move, such is the contempt in which many people hold the man.
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EU OBSERVER 6.4.09
Brown backs Blair for EU president job
HONOR MAHONY
Tony Blair has renewed his campaign to become the first president of
Europe and has received backing from UK leader Gordon Brown.
According to a report in the Sunday Independent, Mr Brown is prepared
to back his predecessor and great political rival for the new post -
foreseen under the EU's planned Lisbon Treaty - in order to have
Britain holding a key role in the "new world order."
"He [Brown] will have to swallow hard to sit down in meetings once
again with Blair. But he accepts that there needs to be someone from
the UK in the new global architecture. There is no opposition to the
plan. Things have moved on, people have moved on," said a senior
official quoted by the newspaper.
It notes that Mr Blair held private talks with European Commission
president Jose Manuel Barroso on Wednesday last week, where the issue
of his candidacy was likely discussed.
Mr Blair last year received the public backing of French president
Nicolas Sarkozy but he is a devisive figure in Europe having
supported the unpopular US-led war in Iraq. In addition, as a Briton,
he represents a country that has ambivalent relations with the EU and
is not in some of its key structures, such as the euro-zone.
He is currently the Middle East envoy, a role he has held for two
years. However, critics argue that he has had little success in the
job. A gifted orator, he is also the world's highest paid speaker,
according to The Times, recently earning almost €440,000 for two half-
hour speeches.
The President of the European Council is a two and half year post
that can be renewed once. The job description in the Lisbon Treaty
foresees that the president represents the EU externally and
organises the regular meetings of EU leaders.
However, the description leaves plenty of room for manoeuvre,
prompting much debate in Brussels about what sort of person should
hold the job and how much power they should have.
The European Parliament is keen to keep a lid on the powers, fearing
that an all-powerful president would change the institutional balance
of the EU towards member states.
Last month, its constitutional affairs committee approved a report
saying the president should not speak for the EU as a whole on
political issues.
But putting a senior political figure such as Tony Blair into the
post would likely see this happening.
For the moment, the creation of the post hangs in the balance. The
Lisbon Treaty faces a referendum Ireland later this year and has yet
to be approved in the Czech Republic. It is also facing a court
challenge in Germany and has still to be signed by the Polish president.
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