A European president?
With the Lisbon Treaty entry into force now in sight, rumors have been circulating as to who will be the first EU President, an office tenable for two and half years and renewable once, but that nobody seems to understand what it is for. The UK, being the Euro-enthusiast member we know, has been ripe with rumors about Tony Blair’s presumed candidacy for the post. Analysis has mixed with gossip: why would he not run openly? Why does the public, if we are to believe the British media, seem to dislike him so much? Would he be the best candidate for the job, given his political legacy, not to mention the European credentials of the UK as a whole?
As usual, however, the debate has been hijacked by domestic issues, shunning from European ones. What is the European President supposed to do? It may come as a surprise to most tabloid readers, but the idea of a European president is not entirely new. Each one of the 27 members holds the presidency of the Council for six months, with the relevant national minister chairing meetings with his/her European counterparts.
Granted, the ‘new’ President, under Lisbon, would be a full time chair. Short of surprising, and unprecedented agreements between the 27 in matters of foreign and defence policies, where intergovernmentalism and unanimity apply, the newly established President would not be much more than a coordinator, and agenda setter, with the appointed task to define the Union’s political directions and priorities.
Much ado about nothing?
