As secret negotiations continue across Europe over the new Lisbon Treaty 'top jobs', the dominant European centre-right is waiting for the left to make its move and propose "credible candidates" for the position of High Representative for Foreign Affairs. José Manuel Barroso famously said that there are 'good socialists and bad socialists', when, during his grilling in the European Parliament before securing a second term as Commission president, the Parliament's centre-left group insisted on obtaining the EU foreign affairs minister job envisaged under the draft Lisbon Treaty (EurActiv 10/09/09). Barroso's statement alluded to the fact that the socialists failed to name any candidates for the position, and he insisted that candidates eventually proposed by the left would not be automatically given the job simply by virtue of being a socialist. Consequently, the European left's strategy has been to push strongly for a centre-left politician to be given the new job of High Representative (HR) for Foreign Affairs, in part capitalising on the good record of Javier Solana, a Spanish socialist, as foreign policy chief.
José Manuel Barroso famously said that there are 'good socialists and bad socialists', when, during his grilling in the European Parliament before securing a second term as Commission president, the Parliament's centre-left group insisted on obtaining the EU foreign affairs minister job envisaged under the draft Lisbon Treaty (EurActiv 10/09/09).
Barroso's statement alluded to the fact that the socialists failed to name any candidates for the position, and he insisted that candidates eventually proposed by the left would not be automatically given the job simply by virtue of being a socialist.
Consequently, the European left's strategy has been to push strongly for a centre-left politician to be given the new job of High Representative (HR) for Foreign Affairs, in part capitalising on the good record of Javier Solana, a Spanish socialist, as foreign policy chief.
The high-ranking centre-left source told EurActiv that "the Socialist family has a number of well-qualified names" for the HR job, though he would not name names. Speculation has been mounting that if their Blair strategy fails, the British Labour party may push to have current UK Foreign Minister David Miliband installed as HR. Rumours also abound in France that Sarkozy may push for former centre-left Minister of Foreign Affairs Hubert Védrine.
Rumours also abound that Kouchner wants the job. Védrine would be a great deal more authoritative and compentent (and so much less of a grandstander).
I saw him interviewed on French TV last week. For various reasons, I couldn't follow the interview in detail, but it was not assumed that he was a candidate for the post of HR. I did catch the main point he emphasized, which was that Europe's foreign policy should be led by the Britain-France-Germany troika. In which he's probably right on the Sarko line.
