Strap yourselves in. The (almost) post-Nice EU finds itself at the gates of Lisbon Treaty land. And confusion reigns. The difficulties concern the future external representation and running of the EU where the treaty is gloriously imprecise.
A summary of the Lisbon Treaty in this area reads like a school essay question:
The European Commission president, the President of the European Council and the EU foreign minister all represent the European Union to some extent. Please discuss.
(PS. and while you’re at it, don’t forget the rotating presidencies of the EU, also determined not to take a backseat role.)
And member states are (somewhat frantically) discussing it – particularly the shape of the president of the European Council. (The treaty says the president should drive forward the work of the European Council and ensure external representation of the Union “without prejudice” to the EU foreign minister). So far, so great potential for overlapping and interpretation.
The Benelux countries have circulated a paper saying the president should have an administrative role only. The thinking is similar in Poland too, and, I imagine, in most small- to medium- sized member states.
The large member states have been relatively silent on the matter. But I cannot imagine that they would want a powerful president as has been discussed. This person would eclipse them. And what politician anywhere knowingly agrees to create a post that is glitzier than their own. Or knowingly agrees to install a person who risks outshining them.
An MEP remarked to me recently that if Tony Blair were to become council president, journalists would not know whether to attend his press conference or that of French president Nicolas Sarkozy after an EU leaders’ meeting.
The question is also attracting some interest beyond the Brussels beltway. (Thankfully).
There are EU council president facebook groups for ex British prime minister Tony Blair and former Irish president Mary Robinson. The former has 226 members. The latter’s group has 4,789 members.
Could Mrs Robinson be someone who could both capture EU popular imagination and interest as well as solve the dilemma the EU leaders seem to find themselves in: Finding a person who would be taken seriously by other countries but would not run away with the role?
We shall see. It is very early days still and she is not yet on the ‘serious contender’ list. And those who make it onto the list too early are often not those who are ultimately nominated.
(Naturally, all of the above comes with a Vaclav Klaus caveat.)
#1 by Erika Salzeck on October 14, 2009 - 10:36 am
STOP BLAIR from becoming the EU President! Go to http://www.stopblair.eu/ Over 37,000 signatures.
Tony Blair has shown him self to be shallow, corrupt, self serving and vain. He possesses neither principles nor integrity, even delaying changing his religion in case it affected his position. He presided over the dismantling of the British economy with disastrous and far reaching effects and he invaded Iraq against the wishes of the United Nations again with horrific effect. There have been an estimated 133,977,1 civilian deaths in Iraq since the invasion began (& that’s just the bodies they have been able to count). He has lied to and stolen from the British people – shredding large quantities of documents “accidentally” weeks before he left office. He is closely implicated in the deaths of inconvenient critics and he must bear with Bush responsibility for making the world an infinitely more dangerous place for our children.
He and his wife will go down in the history books as dangerous, grasping buffoons along with Mr & Mrs Marcos.
If any more reason is needed not to commit the folly of making him President – he has failed abysmally in his position as Middle East Envoy – having been rebuked for failing to report on his progress. He was no doubt too busy holding court in Jerusalem where he occupies an entire floor of the best hotel in town at a cost of £400,000 per year to the British Taxpayer.
Blair for President? Not if we have a vestige of sanity left.
#2 by Seraf on October 14, 2009 - 12:38 pm
Im not saying stop Blair. Im saying stop thinking about EU president… Im surprised you are still underestimating Mr. Klaus. He will never ratify Lisbon Treaty. Trust Die Welt
#3 by Ralf Grahn on October 14, 2009 - 2:01 pm
If the Czech Republic is unable to solve its constitutional crisis, the rest of the European Union has to resign itself to continue without it, under the Lisbon Treaty redesigned for ratifying states.
Sign the Stop Blair petition (growing by the day) and support Mary Robinson (support growing by the day).
#4 by Stefan on October 14, 2009 - 2:02 pm
I’m surprised there are still Czechs who support the political turncoat Vaclav Klaus.
At first he was a communist who informed on his fellow students and Czech dissidents. After the velvet revolution he became an economic libertarian. Nowadays he seems to be a stick-in-the-mud nationalist, who is abusing a historical wrong and stirring up nationalistic sentiments in his own country to sabotage the EU.
The Czech Parliament has already passed the Lisbon Treaty with a large majority. Hence, the Treaty either does not overrule the Beneš Decrees, or the Czech MPs have already accepted that they cannot sustain those illegal decrees indefinitely. Whatever it is, Mr. Klaus has to respect the ruling of his own parliament or he might face an impeachment proccedings.
#5 by Damien on October 14, 2009 - 3:34 pm
I don’t know about Mary. I remember watching a documentary on her some time ago and the impression I got from it was she seems to want to return to Mayo to be with family, her grandchildren.
And would she be able to keep her other roles, in the Elders etc if she was to be President of the Council.
And if she was to get the job, would the Human Rights movement lose someone too valuable just so she can chair a few meetings between unruly member states.
#6 by Stefan on October 14, 2009 - 3:44 pm
Austrian newspapers have brought up Wolfgang Schüssel, the former chancellor, who is allegedly supported by the Germans.
It ain’t over till the Irish lady sings, no?
#7 by sptvk on October 14, 2009 - 4:36 pm
Support Vaclav Klaus! Stop the Lisbon Treaty!
http://supportvaclavklaus.wordpress.com/
http://www.petitiononline.com/sptklaus/petition.html
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=144395234460
#8 by Seraf on October 14, 2009 - 5:53 pm
@Stefan
You arent Czech, do you? If you were Czech, you wouldnt be surprised. Many Czechs support Vaclav Klaus. At least half of them, maybe more. Our government is just lying and says something another in Brussel (as well as other countries governments).
And if you were Czech, you would know that czech President cannot be leagaly impeached:-) Definitely not at this situation.
#9 by Marcel on October 14, 2009 - 6:18 pm
And where exactly is the democracy in yet another unelected unaccountable EU presidential position?
@4
I don’t care what Klaus’ motives are. He is the only one that can stop the undemocratic Lisbon treaty and the undemocratic EU elites from seizing more powers. That’s what I care about.
#10 by Tony Taylor on October 14, 2009 - 8:26 pm
In the interests of sanity, I feel it only fair to note that the Facebook “AGAINST Tony Blair being EU President” has achieved more than one thousand supporters.
#11 by Peter Mason on October 14, 2009 - 8:30 pm
no doubt, Turkey will be ecstatic to see Blair-the arch-cheerleader of Turkey’s EU bid -installed in office. Something for Merkel and Sarko to reflect upon….
#12 by Heinrich Müller on October 15, 2009 - 3:42 am
We must bite the bullet and appoint Tony Blair; he’s the only President likely to be taken seriously outside Europe. The EU really does need to move on, post Lisbon Treaty
#13 by Jean-Baptiste Perrin on October 15, 2009 - 10:32 am
Since when Blair was ever taken seriously? He is not taken seriously inside Europe by anyone and he is even less likely to be taken serious outside, especially after his (to put it politely) less than stellar performance in the Middle-East role that he so desperately wanted.
#14 by Damien on October 15, 2009 - 8:29 pm
I hope Pat Cox DOES NOT get the Irish nomination. He has already carved out a very lucrative lobbying career from his stint as President of the Euro Parliament. Something I find difficult to stomach, should politicans not be banned from taking lobby jobs for 6mths, a year after leaving PUBLIC Office????
Could you imagine how powerful a lobby job he would have after his stint in the Commission? It would be very good for his jocket, for the jocket of those he lobbies on behalf, but very bad for the citizen.
Secondly, its being branded about how good his euro credentials are because he was President of the EP for a while. No mention, he only got that because of the political jostering that occurs? did a EPP get another job, or did PES get a job somewhere else, leaving ALDE to get something……..the EP President (the Cox being a PD).
When he was President of a very weak Parliament, inconsequential and insignificant, did he force thru any real reforms of MEPs expenses or the abuses of said.
Absolutely not. I hope Cowen doesnt ‘reward’ Cox for getting Lisbon, as if Cox won the referendum.
#15 by Seraf on October 16, 2009 - 9:28 am
Fresh today’s public opinion research saying about 65% Czechs support Vaclav Klaus.
http://www.lidovky.cz/prezident-klaus-za-nas-bojuje-tvrdi-cesi-v-pruzkumu-fyp-/ln_domov.asp?c=A091015_210317_ln_domov_ani
#16 by Jean-Baptiste Perrin on October 16, 2009 - 10:50 am
I suspect they support more the maintaining of the Benes decrees than Klaus himself. I hope so for them, at least. To be honest, I don’t have an opinion on the issue itself. I just suspect it is used by the nefarious Klaus as a pretext to block everything and enjoy some poorly deserved media attention.
About the Benes decrees, on the one hand they are ethically unfair (and always were). On the other hand, I have always been against late attempts to make justice for History. Sometimes, peace is a form of justice by itself. I know it is horrible to say for the families who lost all they had then. But let’s face it, since then they rebuild their lives and doing them justice would only wrong others, just as innocent as they are (or were)
#17 by Marcel on October 17, 2009 - 4:08 pm
I hate to say I told you so, but behind closed doors, Merkel is trying to oust Klaus.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article6869578.ece
Scandalous! Outrageous! 1939 all over again, with another totalitarian undemocratic Reich trying to destroy democracy all over Europe.
And the academics and press are actually cheering the process this time, having all been coopted.
#18 by al on October 19, 2009 - 7:58 am
More details on how Germany’s attacking the sovereignty of the Czech Republic here. For those that think the EU is something new, this ought to be your wake-up call.
#19 by Giles Merrit on October 19, 2009 - 10:58 pm
“If its first occupant is not a household name, the presidency will be doomed as just another of the European Union’s confusing plethora of worthy senior positions that are neither valued nor understood outside Brussels.
The key point here is that Europe won’t be able to upgrade the job later. If the presidency goes to a politician who lacks fame and charisma, its place will forever be low down in the international pecking order. Of the half-dozen candidates to become “Europe’s president,” only Tony Blair needs no introduction anywhere. All the other names in the ring have to be accompanied by a description – the former Finnish this or Austrian that.”
#20 by Stefan on October 20, 2009 - 8:51 am
Whoever said a former Finnish or Austrian head of government was necessarily less qualified than the has-been Tony Blair. The fact that many Brits don’t know European politicians tells more about their ignorance of European matters than anything else. There’s no reason why someone from the continent cannot become a household name as well.
Agreed, Tony Blair does need no introduction – everyone knows him as warmonger and Bush’s poodle. Do we really want such a shady character preside EU-councils represent us to the world?
#21 by Andrei on October 21, 2009 - 10:00 am
@ #18, I don’t understand your point of view and why do you consider that the German politicians’ declarations attack the sovereignity of Czech Republic. As long as the Czech president acts against the will of his own parliament, and of the parliaments and peoples of 27 states isn’t he in fact attacking everyone’s right of choice? If the Czech Republic as a whole became so euro-sceptic, the Lisbon Treaty provides the way out. Nobody really wants that, but it’s good to know.
#22 by Miha on October 23, 2009 - 3:11 pm
I somehow don’t understand those of you who suggest EU is undemocratic. Who are the people sitting in the council, who are the people forming European council? Are they not member states’ elected representatives? Each and any member of the institutions mentioned has been appointed by the national parliament, PM or a president of Union’s member states. The latter have been elected directly by its peoples and they should be held responsible for their actions when the following elections take place. So we don’t elect the Union’s president directly, but nor is he elected directly in the Czech Republic or Germany or any of the monarchies that actually don’t even elect their president. Even Americans don’t elect their president directly but rather through an electoral voting. So in any way EU president will mirror the will of its citizens as our directly elected representatives will elect a person fit for the entire Union.
#23 by damien on October 24, 2009 - 10:27 am
In today’s Irish Times, Mary Robinson has ruled herself out of the running for President of the Council. SHe has no intention of holding that position.
It just shows how a name is taken by the media and run with it, and in the process, becomes the name of ‘choice’.
Pat cox is a prime example, the media had him billed as ‘it’, ‘in the bag’, so much so, that I was getting worried. Doesnt look like he will get Commission either.
Maybe its not such a bad thing, this I read about media in the EU going backwards. Of course, Ireland scored top of the class in media freedom. Not so free when big interests propose a name and he gathers steam.
#24 by GARETH on October 29, 2009 - 4:10 am
I think most Brits, along with most Europeans, want to drop this petty tribalism and work together for the benefit or all EU members.
Mr Juncker represents the antithesis of this. What is the point of paying billions annually to be part of a club when people like Juncker are actually seriously put forward as potential leaders?
Furthermore, why do people seriously have to ask why Brits are sceptical about the manner of Euro integration?