Romanian MEP Adrian Severin and former Italian Prime Minister Massimo D'Alema have emerged as frontrunners for the new EU foreign minister job to be created by the Lisbon Treaty, EurActiv has learned. But the pair is facing difficulties with their candidacies at home and abroad respectively. Following UK foreign minister David Miliband's unequivocal refusal (EurActiv 09/11/09), the EU centre-left has now turned its attention to its remaining "shortlist" of candidates for the job of High Representative for foreign policy, to be created by the Lisbon Treaty. Some socialists, speaking off the record to EurActiv, believe the battle is now effectively a two-horse race between Romanian MEP Adrian Severin and former Italian foreign minister Massimo D'Alema.
Following UK foreign minister David Miliband's unequivocal refusal (EurActiv 09/11/09), the EU centre-left has now turned its attention to its remaining "shortlist" of candidates for the job of High Representative for foreign policy, to be created by the Lisbon Treaty.
Some socialists, speaking off the record to EurActiv, believe the battle is now effectively a two-horse race between Romanian MEP Adrian Severin and former Italian foreign minister Massimo D'Alema.
Massimo D'Alema (born April 20, 1949[1]) is an Italian politician. He is also a journalist and a former national secretary of the Democratic Party of the Left (PDS). He was Prime Minister from 1998 to 2000, and later he was Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2006 to 2008.
Adrian Severin:
Adrian Severin (born 28 March 1954 in Bucharest) is a Romanian politician and Member of the European Parliament. A former member of the National Salvation Front and the Democratic Party (which he left in April 1999), Severin was the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Romania between 12 December 1996 and 29 December 1997, as part of the Victor Ciorbea cabinet. He sat in the Chamber of Deputies in June-July 1990 before resigning, and again was a member of that body from 1992 until December 2007, when he resigned. He is a member of the Social Democratic Party, part of the Group of the Party of European Socialists, and became an MEP on 1 January 2007 with the accession of Romania to the European Union. Severin served as the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Belarus from 2005 to 2006. He was member of PACE from 1993 till 1997 and from 2003 till 2007.[1]
A former member of the National Salvation Front and the Democratic Party (which he left in April 1999), Severin was the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Romania between 12 December 1996 and 29 December 1997, as part of the Victor Ciorbea cabinet. He sat in the Chamber of Deputies in June-July 1990 before resigning, and again was a member of that body from 1992 until December 2007, when he resigned.
He is a member of the Social Democratic Party, part of the Group of the Party of European Socialists, and became an MEP on 1 January 2007 with the accession of Romania to the European Union.
Severin served as the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Belarus from 2005 to 2006. He was member of PACE from 1993 till 1997 and from 2003 till 2007.[1]
