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EU Story 09-23 |
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London publicly supports Blair for EU
president post LUCIA KUBOSOVA Tony Blair would have London's full backing for the new post of EU president, UK's Europe minister confirmed, suggesting the well-known British ex-leader would be respected and "generally welcomed." The British Labour leader has been mentioned as a possible candidate for the title since it first appeared in the European Constitution, which was later transformed into the Lisbon treaty. But this is the first time that London's position has been publicly announced by a government minister. "The UK government is supporting Tony Blair's candidature for president of the Council [of EU governments]," Lady Kinnock, Britain's Europe minister, told journalists in Strasbourg on Wednesday (15 July). She argued that Mr Blair had the "strength of character" and "status" to take on the job, adding: "People know who he is, and he could step into this new role with a lot of respect and he would be generally welcomed." When asked whether the British government had discussed the issue with Mr Blair, Lady Kinnock replied: "It is the government's position. I am sure they would not do that without asking him." Tony Blair, Britain's prime minister for 10 years, is currently working as an international peace envoy to the Middle East while also serving as an advisor to insurance firm Zurich and investment bank JP Morgan. In reaction to the statement by Lady Kinnock, Mr Blair's spokesman told the BBC: "As we have said, time and again on this, there is nothing to be a candidate for since the job doesn't actually exist." The creation of a new EU president post - to be held for two and a half years and partly replace the current six-month rotating chairmanship of the bloc's member states – currently depends on the outcome of the second referendum on the Lisbon Treaty in Ireland on 2 October, following a negative verdict by the Irish last year. The latest polls suggest that the country, strongly affected by the current global financial and economic crisis, may approve the EU's new treaty. The full tasks and responsibilities of "President of the European Council" – as the official title reads - are not yet clear: he or she will mainly be chairing the summits of national leaders and work closely with the EU foreign minister, another post created by the new treaty. Whether the role of the EU president will be merely administrative or something more powerful is likely to be determined by the first appointee to the job. Mr Blair is a controversial candidate due to his support for the Iraq war. He has in the past been publicly supported by Paris but is thought to be strongly opposed by German chancellor Angela Merkel. Another candidate mentioned most often and thought to enjoy backing by Berlin and Paris is Luxembourg's prime minister and veteran of the EU stage, Jean-Claude Juncker. But French media recently reported that French president Nicolas Sarkozy has switched his support to former Spanish socialist prime minister Felipe Gonzalez, 67, who currently heads a group of EU's "wise men" discussing the bloc's future shape. Source |
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