Belgian Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy, a top candidate for the new European Union president job, laid out his views on future EU financing at a dinner of the secretive Bilderberg group last week. The event took place at Val Duchesse, a former priory on the outskirts of Brussels, on Thursday (12 November), with guests including Belgian industrialist and Bilderberg chairman Etienne Davignon, former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger and luminaries from the worlds of international politics and business, according to Belgian broadsheet De Tijd. The Belgian leader is reported to have said in a speech that: "New resources will be necessary for the financing of the welfare state. Green tax instruments are a possibility, but they are ambiguous: This type of tax will eventually be extinguished. But the possibilities of financial levies at European level must be seriously examined and for the first time the large countries in the union are open to that."
The event took place at Val Duchesse, a former priory on the outskirts of Brussels, on Thursday (12 November), with guests including Belgian industrialist and Bilderberg chairman Etienne Davignon, former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger and luminaries from the worlds of international politics and business, according to Belgian broadsheet De Tijd.
The Belgian leader is reported to have said in a speech that: "New resources will be necessary for the financing of the welfare state. Green tax instruments are a possibility, but they are ambiguous: This type of tax will eventually be extinguished. But the possibilities of financial levies at European level must be seriously examined and for the first time the large countries in the union are open to that."
The European Union is struggling to avoid the embarrassment of lacking agreed nominees for the posts of president and foreign policy supremo at a summit on Thursday in which the winning candidates are supposed to be announced.An absence of consensus by Monday on who should be appointed to the foreign policy job was preventing Herman Van Rompuy, Belgium's prime minister, from consolidating his position as favourite to become the first full-time EU president.The two jobs are intended to improve the EU's ability to speak with one voice and project its influence in the world, after its expansion in recent years from a 15-member to a 27-member bloc.According to several EU government ministers and diplomats, the hunt for a foreign policy candidate of the right political and geographical profile has proved harder than rallying support for Mr Van Rompuy.There is even a small risk that Sweden, holder of the EU's rotating presidency, will not have found an answer by the time it opens Thursday's summit - although EU officials say Stockholm's firm goal is to strike a deal beforehand.
An absence of consensus by Monday on who should be appointed to the foreign policy job was preventing Herman Van Rompuy, Belgium's prime minister, from consolidating his position as favourite to become the first full-time EU president.
The two jobs are intended to improve the EU's ability to speak with one voice and project its influence in the world, after its expansion in recent years from a 15-member to a 27-member bloc.
According to several EU government ministers and diplomats, the hunt for a foreign policy candidate of the right political and geographical profile has proved harder than rallying support for Mr Van Rompuy.
There is even a small risk that Sweden, holder of the EU's rotating presidency, will not have found an answer by the time it opens Thursday's summit - although EU officials say Stockholm's firm goal is to strike a deal beforehand.
Bliar seems really out of the race, but the elevation of the president of the European Council into 'EU President' sticked around. Will the UK media learn once van Rompuy has been around for some time? (I presume that he will even manage to not outshine Barroso -- not because he's bad but because he's low-profile.) *Lunatic*, n. One whose delusions are out of fashion.
Above all because the "European Union" can only be struggling, embarrassed, and lacking, now it seems clear Blair will not be appointed president of the European Council.
Did we win? Unless there's a last minute zombie recall from beyond the grave, I think we won.
People didn't expect the Titanic to sink, either.
[afew's Crystal Ball of Doom™ Technology]
This isn't just the end of Blair's hopes, it's the end of Blair's influence. Once Dubya was gone, he lost his most significant patron.
He has no one of equal seriousness to lean on now. What's left of the rabid right will be happy to throw him to the dogs.
I predict another book deal, soon.
Please don't declare victory until a Pres. is put in. Like in the US you might be one real or staged terrorist attack away from reversing things. Now where's the fun in that! - Megatron
Meanwhile in a related development, European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek over the weekend backed former Spanish leader Jose Maria Aznar to take the EU president post. "As far as I know, Aznar is not currently interested in this kind of position. But I think it would be good for the EU if he changed his mind and submitted his candidature," Mr Buzek told Spanish daily ABC in an interview published on Saturday.
Meanwhile in a related development, European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek over the weekend backed former Spanish leader Jose Maria Aznar to take the EU president post.
"As far as I know, Aznar is not currently interested in this kind of position. But I think it would be good for the EU if he changed his mind and submitted his candidature," Mr Buzek told Spanish daily ABC in an interview published on Saturday.
Quick, a petition!
(Well... Buzek did mention Aznar, so anything's possible...)
Would it give immunity from prosecution? *Lunatic*, n. One whose delusions are out of fashion.
When he realised his hopes of being (say) Commission President he attached himself to Bush' elective wars and to Murdoch's media machine instead. En un viejo país ineficiente, algo así como España entre dos guerras civiles, poseer una casa y poca hacienda y memoria ninguna. -- Gil de Biedma
