Tony Blair's ambition to become Europe's first president have been set back by stiffening opposition from Sweden and Spain, the two countries chairing the EU for the next year. Senior officials in Stockholm, which assumed the six-month rotating presidency of the EU today, said they feared a President Blair would be a divisive figure, triggering friction between small and large European countries, and added that José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, the Spanish prime minister, was even more strongly opposed to Blair securing the post and usurping Madrid's running of the union next year.
Senior officials in Stockholm, which assumed the six-month rotating presidency of the EU today, said they feared a President Blair would be a divisive figure, triggering friction between small and large European countries, and added that José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, the Spanish prime minister, was even more strongly opposed to Blair securing the post and usurping Madrid's running of the union next year.
When are we finally going to be rid of this rotten little man?
The European Union's small and medium-sized countries do not want a strong leader as the first full-time president of the European Council, according to Fredrik Reinfeldt, the prime minister of Sweden, which took over the presidency of the EU yesterday (1 July). Reinfeldt said that EU governments were divided over the powers and influence of the new figure, who will, if the Lisbon treaty comes into effect, chair the European Council for up to five years. The permanent president is supposed to work alongside the government leader of the country that, under the existing system, holds the rotating presidency of the Council of Ministers. Reinfeldt said that while some member states thought that the president should be a strong personality, others wanted a consensus-seeking chairman. The choice, he said, would be "a balance between those who want a strong leader - a figure leading Europe - or more of a person presiding over meetings and co-chairing with the rotating presidency". He added: "Small and medium-sized countries are less interested in a strong leader." Reinfeldt's comments reflect growing resistance from some national governments to appointing a high-profile figure such as Tony Blair, the former UK prime minister, as the first full-time president, for fear that he might marginalise leaders from smaller countries and compete with leaders from the big member states.
Reinfeldt said that EU governments were divided over the powers and influence of the new figure, who will, if the Lisbon treaty comes into effect, chair the European Council for up to five years. The permanent president is supposed to work alongside the government leader of the country that, under the existing system, holds the rotating presidency of the Council of Ministers. Reinfeldt said that while some member states thought that the president should be a strong personality, others wanted a consensus-seeking chairman. The choice, he said, would be "a balance between those who want a strong leader - a figure leading Europe - or more of a person presiding over meetings and co-chairing with the rotating presidency". He added: "Small and medium-sized countries are less interested in a strong leader."
Reinfeldt's comments reflect growing resistance from some national governments to appointing a high-profile figure such as Tony Blair, the former UK prime minister, as the first full-time president, for fear that he might marginalise leaders from smaller countries and compete with leaders from the big member states.
Even mid-sized states are not happy. EurActiv: Big member states 'backing out of EU', warns Hungary FM (27 April 2009 )Balázs, who is a former EU commissioner, said that large member states were looking to "strengthen" the role of other institutions as alternative decision-making fora. The foreign minister said Germany had been working "to seize economic institutions and to strengthen the G20" since 2007. In line with views recently expressed by Belgian Foreign Minister Karel de Gucht (EurActiv 21/04/09), he argued that the aim of such actions was to leave smaller EU member states "behind", with larger members preferring to deal with states that have "similar influence and weight".and EU increasingly governed by the few, Belgian FM warns (21 April 2009)With just a year to go until the Belgian EU Presidency, the country's foreign minister denounced the functioning of the Union, which he said is increasingly governed by an "executive board of big countries". Speaking on Monday (20 April) at the opening of an annual diplomatic conference in Brussels, Karel de Gucht said Belgium would make full use of its presidency in the second half of 2010 to re-establish the EU institutional balance, which he said was in "danger". "It is absolutely unacceptable that small groups of member states put in danger the normal institutional process," de Gucht said. "Belgium has the duty of trying as quickly as possible to re-establish the institutional balance."
EurActiv: Big member states 'backing out of EU', warns Hungary FM (27 April 2009 )
Balázs, who is a former EU commissioner, said that large member states were looking to "strengthen" the role of other institutions as alternative decision-making fora. The foreign minister said Germany had been working "to seize economic institutions and to strengthen the G20" since 2007. In line with views recently expressed by Belgian Foreign Minister Karel de Gucht (EurActiv 21/04/09), he argued that the aim of such actions was to leave smaller EU member states "behind", with larger members preferring to deal with states that have "similar influence and weight".
The foreign minister said Germany had been working "to seize economic institutions and to strengthen the G20" since 2007.
In line with views recently expressed by Belgian Foreign Minister Karel de Gucht (EurActiv 21/04/09), he argued that the aim of such actions was to leave smaller EU member states "behind", with larger members preferring to deal with states that have "similar influence and weight".
With just a year to go until the Belgian EU Presidency, the country's foreign minister denounced the functioning of the Union, which he said is increasingly governed by an "executive board of big countries". Speaking on Monday (20 April) at the opening of an annual diplomatic conference in Brussels, Karel de Gucht said Belgium would make full use of its presidency in the second half of 2010 to re-establish the EU institutional balance, which he said was in "danger". "It is absolutely unacceptable that small groups of member states put in danger the normal institutional process," de Gucht said. "Belgium has the duty of trying as quickly as possible to re-establish the institutional balance."
Speaking on Monday (20 April) at the opening of an annual diplomatic conference in Brussels, Karel de Gucht said Belgium would make full use of its presidency in the second half of 2010 to re-establish the EU institutional balance, which he said was in "danger".
"It is absolutely unacceptable that small groups of member states put in danger the normal institutional process," de Gucht said. "Belgium has the duty of trying as quickly as possible to re-establish the institutional balance."
