Former British PM Blair nixed as EU president
October 31, 2009
By Dr. Stephen Murgatroyd
Columnist
Troy Media
Dr. Stephen Murgatroyd
EDMONTON, AB, Oct 31, 2009/ Troy Media/ — Any hope former British Prime Minister Tony Blair had of becoming the first President of the European Union were dashed yesterday when France and Germany signaled that they had an alternative candidate and would prefer not to have Blair in the chair.
The newly re-elected Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel, led the opposition and persuaded French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who had previously supported Blair, to change his mind.
The new candidate to secure German and French support is Dutch premier Jan Peter Balkenende, now widely seen as the new favourite. While Balkenende vigorously denies any interest in the position, leaked conversations make clear that he is.
The Presidency of the European Union is a new position called for in the Lisbon Treaty, likely to be ratified next week, once the Czech Republic finalizes some special arrangements agreed to this week in a meeting of the EU’s leaders. The Czech constitutional court will rule on whether or not the treaty is legal or whether it breaches the Czech constitution on Thursday, November 5.
The role of the President is both to be chair of the leaders meeting and to be the public face of the EU between these meetings. The concern surrounding Blair was that he was not seen as a Chair but more as a Chief Executive.
Britain may still salvage something from the situation. David Milliband, currently Britain’s foreign secretary, is now widely favoured for the position of first EU Foreign Minister, a position also called for in the Lisbon Treaty. Milliband, who many see as a potential leader of the Labour Party after Gordon Brown’s departure following his expected defeat at the next British general election, is young (forty four), seen as an effective communicator and mediator and has performed admirably as Britain’s foreign secretary. He and his brother, Ed Milliband, are the first siblings to serve at the same time in the British cabinet since Neville and Austin Chamberlain.
Blair had worked hard to secure the Presidency and its loss is a further indication that his personality and performance are now seen as barriers rather than assets. Some have suggested that his preoccupation with religion in public life and his failure to make an impact on the middle east peace process, which is a key concern for him in his role as a Middle East Envoy for the “quartet” of interested parties (US, UN, EU and Russia), are factors which weighed heavily against him. He is also seen by some, including the Czech President, as an intellectual light-weight.
The decision on who will hold the Presidency and Foreign Minister roles will be made by the leaders of the EU within weeks of the Lisbon Treaty being approved.
Channels: the Huffington Post, November 2, Positive University, November 3, 2009
