Star Fades for Blair in EU Role
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: BRUSSELS -- The odds against former British Prime Minister Tony Blair becoming the first president of the European Union appear to have lengthened.

Mr. Blair is the most prominent figure linked by diplomats to the post which, together with the job of a new EU foreign policy chief, will be created by the so-called Lisbon Treaty. The pact is designed to increase the 27-nation grouping's influence in world affairs.

Formal negotiations on who should fill the top job are unlikely to begin until at least next month, European officials say, because the treaty has been held up awaiting ratification by the Czech Republic.

Leaders of the European Parliament decided Thursday to hold a debate on Nov. 11 over whether the president should be a bureaucrat or a figurehead. The eventual candidate will be chosen by national leaders and must be confirmed by Parliament.

Mr. Blair's spokesman denied he is campaigning for the job. "As we have said time and again on this, there is nothing to be a candidate for, since the job doesn't actually exist," he said.

The winds have been blowing against Mr. Blair in recent weeks. When asked last week whether Mr. Blair would be a good candidate, French President Nicolas Sarkozy -- hitherto an apparent strong supporter -- said it was too early to say. >>> Stephen Fidler | Friday, October 2009

Tony Blair 'to Be Made EU President Next Month'
MAIL ONLINE: Tony Blair could be crowned first President of Europe at a special summit of EU leaders next month.

Diplomatic sources say French President Nicolas Sarkozy is pushing for an extraordinary meeting in Brussels to install the former prime minister in the new £275,000-a-year post.

Supporters of Mr Blair's candidacy are racing to get a deal stitched up as doubts grow about whether the forthcoming inquiry into the Iraq war could prove a major stumbling block.

The Conservatives have told the French that making him EU president would be viewed by an incoming Tory government as a 'declaration of war'.

They are warning other European leaders that if appointed, Mr Blair could find himself almost immediately at the centre of massive controversy as the formal inquiry into the Iraq war gets under way. >>> James Chapman | Thursday, October 22, 2009

World Agenda: No Role for Democracy in Search for Europe President
TIMES ONLINE: The Reform Act of 1832 swept away dozens of Britain’s “rotten boroughs”, where comfortable sinecures were left in the hands of a tiny number of voters. The 2009 Lisbon treaty will give an electorate of 27 the power to choose the president of Europe.

In one of the European Union’s greatest missed opportunities — in a long list — the European elite shunned calls to add the spice of democracy to their bureaucracy by making their first president directly elected by its 500 million citizens.

This is the job created under the EU’s Lisbon treaty that has been linked to Tony Blair, who has declined to confirm his candidacy before the the treaty is ratified by the Czech Republic — the final EU country yet to complete this process.

Almost nothing about the method of choosing a suitable candidate is written down, meaning that, in time-honoured fashion, the EU will revert to the cosy back-room stitch-up. >>> David Charter, Europe Correspondent | Wednesday, October 21, 2009

’President Tony Blair’ to Pocket £3.6m Pay
THE SUN: TONY Blair will pocket £3.65MILLION if he wins his bid to be first President of Europe.

The mega deal emerged as Ireland's PM yesterday backed him for the job.

Mr Blair's salary will be at least £270,000 - £1.35million during his five-year term.

He will pay a paltry 25 per cent tax under EU rules - while raking in a fortune in perks. They include a £40,500 annual housing allowance, £16,000-a-year for entertaining, a chauffeured limo, 20 staff, fees paid for his kids' education and a huge pension. >>> Graeme Wilson, Political Editor | Monday, October 05, 2009

Václav Klaus, the second President of the Czech Republic. Photo: Google Images
EU's Push for President Post Faces Hurdle: After Ireland's Approval of Lisbon Treaty, European Leaders Begin Effort to Win Over Adamantly Opposed Czech President
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: DUBLIN -- Backed by Ireland's resounding approval of a treaty designed to strengthen the European Union and give it a full-time president, leaders of the bloc said they would start a drive to remove the last remaining hurdle to the so-called Lisbon Treaty -- the refusal of Czech President Vaclav Klaus to sign it.

Ireland's 67% to 33% vote for the treaty Friday was a huge turnaround, reversing Irish voters' veto last year. The change of heart appears to have been driven mainly by the dramatic collapse of Ireland's economy, which made voters less willing to risk weakening the bloc.

For EU leaders who have been struggling for nearly a decade to pass versions of the treaty, it was a huge relief. They hope the scale of the victory will help them to persuade Mr. Klaus, a committed euroskeptic who has refused to sign the Czech legislature's ratification of the treaty, to back down.

Swedish Prime Minster Fredrik Reinfeldt and European Commission President José Manuel Barroso said over the weekend they would meet Wednesday with the Czech Republic's prime minister to add pressure on Mr. Klaus. Sweden, which holds the EU's rotating presidency, is also dispatching its European-affairs minister to Prague.

Mr. Barroso said he was also ready to accept names from the 27 EU countries of their representatives on the commission, the union's executive arm. Terms of the current commissioners end this month, and the process of replacing them had been delayed until the fate of the Lisbon Treaty became clear.

"We start already on Monday to start to push every head of state" to sign the treaty, said Guy Verhofstadt, a former Belgian prime minister and head of the European Parliament's liberal wing.

Ireland alone held a popular referendum on the treaty; the others ratified it through their parliaments. The process is now incomplete in two countries: Poland and the Czech Republic, which need their presidents' signatures.

Polish President Lech Kaczynski has said he would sign it as soon as Irish voters approved it, though his office gave no details on timing in a statement Sunday.

Mr. Klaus is another matter. The Czech president has never hidden his disdain for the EU, and he has a hero's status among treaty opponents across Europe. >>> Charles Forelle. Alistair MacDonald, Sean Carney and Malgorzata Halaba contributed to this article. | Monday, October 05, 2009

EU Ponders New President, Foreign Minister: After Ireland's Vote, Many See Top Post Going to Tony Blair
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

Blair to Be Named EU President ‘Within Weeks’ if Irish Ratify Lisbon Treaty
MAIL ONLINE: Tony Blair is set to become EU President within weeks if Ireland votes 'Yes' in its referendum on the Lisbon Treaty tomorrow.

The former prime minister's candidacy for the new post will be rushed through as quickly as possible, according to government sources.

Mr Blair is among the favourites to become the first President of the European Union, a role that is chosen by the EU's 27 leaders and not by voters.

Such an appointment would restore him to the world stage as well as boost his long-term income.

Mr Blair has refused to rule himself in or out of the running, but did say that 'it is good to have fans' for a possible candidacy.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy has given his full support to a Blair bid. When French foreign minister Bernard Kouchner was asked yesterday if Mr Blair was the only real candidate, he said: 'For the moment, indeed.'

The post of President cannot exist until the Lisbon Treaty is formally ratified by all member states and officials across Europe would scramble to move forward this weekend if Ireland votes 'Yes' on Friday. >>> | Thursday, October 01, 2009

”The Way to Hell,” Says EU President
INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE: BRUSSELS: Trans-Atlantic tension over the handling of the global economic crisis intensified on Wednesday when the prime minister of the Czech Republic, which holds the European Union presidency, described the U.S. stimulus measures as the "way to hell."

Addressing the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek argued that the Obama administration's fiscal package and financial bailout "will undermine the stability of the global financial market."

Mr. Topolanek's comments, only a day after he offered his government's resignation following a no confidence vote, took European officials by surprise.

The rotating E.U. presidency lasts for six months and the country that holds it is supposed to speak on behalf of the entire 27-nation bloc.

The statement came just a week before a meeting of the Group of 20 leaders of the world's biggest economies in London which aims to forge an international consensus on the economic crisis. His comments also underlined potential ideological strains between Washington and Europe as President Barack Obama prepares to travel to Prague in less than two weeks for a summit intended to bolster transatlantic relations and show that the United States and Europe are united over economic policy. EU President Blasts U.S. Economic Stimulus >>> By Stephen Castle and Dan Bilefsky | Wednesday, March 25, 2009