THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: BRUSSELS -- The Irish answer to the Lisbon Treaty formally opens the gates to the politically charged business of choosing Europe's first-ever president and foreign minister of the assembly of the European Union's 27 member governments.
For weeks, pundits and politicians have been handicapping the field, with former British prime minister Tony Blair emerging as the man to beat, although his candidacy faces some high hurdles.
The Lisbon Treaty calls for the two new posts to be chosen by national leaders and confirmed by the European Parliament. Inevitably, their selection will be part of a continental horse-trading game involving other IOUs among nations, and plum positions in the European Commission, the EU's executive branch.
Mr. Blair could give Europe a famous face and a connection to elites everywhere. As a left-of-center politician from Northern Europe, he offers political and geographical balance to the EU commission president, José Manuel Barroso, a Portuguese conservative. Mr. Barroso, a consensus-builder who doesn't ruffle many feathers, was reappointed to a five-year term this summer.
France regards Mr. Blair as a candidate who has "all the credentials," said a spokesman for French President Nicolas Sarkozy. German Chancellor Angela Merkel endorses the notion of a powerful personality as president, says a person familiar with her thinking. However, Ms. Merkel is concerned that Mr. Blair might not be acceptable to the European Parliament, the person said.
Other factors could cripple Mr. Blair's candidacy, say government officials in several EU countries. Mr. Sarkozy and Ms. Merkel -- who have the greatest weight in the voting -- could decide they don't want the high-profile Briton overshadowing them. Mr. Blair is known in Brussels for propelling the Iraq war, which is still very unpopular in Europe. >>> John W. Miller. Quentin Fottrell and David Gauthier-Villars contributed to this article. | Monday, October 05, 2009
