With the Irish 'yes' in the bag, the Lisbon Treaty, which would create the post of EU president, has moved closer to becoming reality. Some say Tony Blair will get the job. Others say he's from the wrong country. Of the eight former heads of state or government whose names have been bandied about on and off since the European Union decided to create the post, Tony Blair has always been considered one of the strongest candidates. He has the support of his native Britain, Ireland, France and Italy. But not everyone is lining up behind him, as a letter released by the Benelux countries on Tuesday goes to show. In their missive, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxemburg outlined what they would be looking for in a president. They said the successful candidate ought to "demonstrate his European engagement and a developed vision on all the Union's policies." One diplomat interpreted the statement as a polite way of telling Blair that they don't think he is "best placed" to get the job.
Of the eight former heads of state or government whose names have been bandied about on and off since the European Union decided to create the post, Tony Blair has always been considered one of the strongest candidates. He has the support of his native Britain, Ireland, France and Italy.
But not everyone is lining up behind him, as a letter released by the Benelux countries on Tuesday goes to show. In their missive, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxemburg outlined what they would be looking for in a president.
They said the successful candidate ought to "demonstrate his European engagement and a developed vision on all the Union's policies."
One diplomat interpreted the statement as a polite way of telling Blair that they don't think he is "best placed" to get the job.
