With the Irish referendum out of the way Brussels is consumed with gossip over who will get the new top jobs created by the Lisbon Treaty.Who still dares to say no to Tony Blair now that the Irish have said yes to the Lisbon Treaty? That is the question many in Brussels and in a number of European capitals are asking these days now that the race for the EU's new top jobs is on. The Lisbon Treaty creates two new posts that need to be filled: that of president of the European Council of Heads of State or Government, a kind of 'EU president', and that of EU foreign minister. Balkenende? Former British prime minister Tony Blair has emerged as the favourite, but he has several strikes against him. Dutch prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende's name has come up too, even if he has dismissed as 'nonsense' his ambition for a top job in Europe. Does Balkenende really stand a chance? "It's not very likely, but I wouldn't rule it out completely," said a diplomat from one country. "He is working hard behind the scenes," said a diplomat from another member state. "His name doesn't really come up, except from Dutch journalists," said a diplomat from yet another nation.
Who still dares to say no to Tony Blair now that the Irish have said yes to the Lisbon Treaty? That is the question many in Brussels and in a number of European capitals are asking these days now that the race for the EU's new top jobs is on. The Lisbon Treaty creates two new posts that need to be filled: that of president of the European Council of Heads of State or Government, a kind of 'EU president', and that of EU foreign minister.
Balkenende?
Former British prime minister Tony Blair has emerged as the favourite, but he has several strikes against him. Dutch prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende's name has come up too, even if he has dismissed as 'nonsense' his ambition for a top job in Europe.
Does Balkenende really stand a chance? "It's not very likely, but I wouldn't rule it out completely," said a diplomat from one country. "He is working hard behind the scenes," said a diplomat from another member state. "His name doesn't really come up, except from Dutch journalists," said a diplomat from yet another nation.
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso has sided with smaller member states in trying to restrict the role of the proposed president of the European Council, a new post created by the Lisbon Treaty. Addressing the European Parliament on Wednesday (7 October), Mr Barroso chastised MEPs for referring to the post as "president of Europe." "I am sorry, there will not be a president of Europe. There will be, if we have Lisbon, the president of the European Council. It is important to understand that point because sometimes I think there are some ideas about certain derives institutionelles [institutional drifts]," he said. Loosely defined in the treaty itself, talk about the nature of the president's role has become one of the main topics in Brussels in recent days, as national governments deliberate whether the post should go to a well-known personality from a big country or a more discreet politician. The exact job description will be written by the first person holding the job, with ex British prime minister Tony Blair among the most-mentioned candidates for the post. It is widely agreed that a politician of Mr Blair's standing would take the post far beyond the largely administrative role foreseen in the treaty.
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso has sided with smaller member states in trying to restrict the role of the proposed president of the European Council, a new post created by the Lisbon Treaty.
Addressing the European Parliament on Wednesday (7 October), Mr Barroso chastised MEPs for referring to the post as "president of Europe."
"I am sorry, there will not be a president of Europe. There will be, if we have Lisbon, the president of the European Council. It is important to understand that point because sometimes I think there are some ideas about certain derives institutionelles [institutional drifts]," he said.
Loosely defined in the treaty itself, talk about the nature of the president's role has become one of the main topics in Brussels in recent days, as national governments deliberate whether the post should go to a well-known personality from a big country or a more discreet politician.
The exact job description will be written by the first person holding the job, with ex British prime minister Tony Blair among the most-mentioned candidates for the post. It is widely agreed that a politician of Mr Blair's standing would take the post far beyond the largely administrative role foreseen in the treaty.
