Choisir M. / Mme Europe[en] 

The EU's new 'Reform Treaty' was agreed upon by EU leaders at a summit in June 2007 and the updated final text was formally approved in October 2008 at an intergovernmental conference (IGC) (EurActiv 19/10/08). The 'Treaty of Lisbon ', as it was finally named, was officially signed by EU heads of state and government at a summit in the Portuguese capital on 13 December 2007 (EurActiv 14/12/07). 

The treaty aims to streamline EU decision-making by introducing voting reform in the Council, reducing the size of the European Commission and strengthening the role of national parliaments. It also creates two new posts: 

• A new, permanent president of the EU Council of Ministers, who will chair EU summits and;
• a High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, a position previously held by Javier Solana, who will also be the EU's external relations commissioner. 

The legal foundation 

The legal basis for the positions of permanent President of the European Council and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy is briefly defined by the Lisbon Treaty: 

• Article 9B: 

5. The European Council shall elect its President, by a qualified majority, for a term of two and a half years, renewable once. In the event of an impediment or serious misconduct, the European Council can end the President's term of office in accordance with the same procedure. 

6. The President of the European Council: 

(a) shall chair it and drive forward its work; 

(b) shall ensure the preparation and continuity of the work of the European Council in cooperation with the President of the Commission, and on the basis of the work of the General Affairs Council; 

(c) shall endeavour to facilitate cohesion and consensus within the European Council, and; 

(d) shall present a report to the European Parliament after each of the meetings of the European Council. 

The President of the European Council shall, at his level and in that capacity, ensure the external representation of the Union on issues concerning its common foreign and security policy, without prejudice to the powers of the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. 

The President of the European Council shall not hold a national office. 

• Article 9E: 

1. The European Council, acting by a qualified majority, with the agreement of the President of the Commission, shall appoint the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. The European Council may end his term of office by the same procedure. 

2. The High Representative shall conduct the Union's common foreign and security policy. He shall contribute by his proposals to the development of that policy, which he shall carry out as mandated by the Council. The same shall apply to the common security and defence policy. 

3. The High Representative shall preside over the Foreign Affairs Council. 

4. The High Representative shall be one of the Vice-Presidents of the Commission. He shall ensure the consistency of the Union's external action. He shall be responsible within the Commission for responsibilities incumbent on it in external relations and for coordinating other aspects of the Union's external action. 

Discrete, consensual leaders

Eight years of soul-searching and intricate manoeuvres to revamp the EU as a more powerful player in world affairs culminated on 19 November with the appointment of two discrete politicians, who pledged to profess consensus-building and quiet diplomacy. At an extraordinary summit which took place over dinner, EU heads of state and government unanimously backed Belgian Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy as the first permanent EU president and current Trade Commissioner Baroness Catherine Ashton as High Representative for Foreign Affairs (EurActiv 20/11/09). 

Rules and timing unclear

The criteria for who to choose for these two new top positions were not written down in the Lisbon Treaty. It was therefore up to Europe's heads of state and government to decide on who they wanted to choose as their new representatives.

Bargaining between the 27 EU countries took into account decisions already taken to reappoint José Manuel Barroso as European Commission president and Jerzy Buzek as president of the European Parliament. It also took into account the distribution of important portfolios in the Commission (see EurActiv LinksDossier on the new European Commission).

The process of nominating commissioners began with the election of José Manuel Barroso as Commission president on 16 September 2009 (EurActiv 16/09/09).

The big question: who to choose?

In the absence of formal criteria, much speculation broke out over who should take up the role of EU president. According to Stanley Crossick, a veteran EU policy analyst and founding chairman of the European Policy Centre (EPC) - a Brussels-based think-tank - the new EU Troika needed to strike a balance between the following criteria (see blog post on Blogactiv for full analysis ):

• Nationality;
• geography;
• size of country, and;
• political affiliation.

However, according to Crossick, the most desirable criterion was the candidate's ability to carry out the relevant responsibilities. In this perspective, Crossick argued that German Chancellor Angela Merkel was the only person who has "the authority and ability" to ensure the importance of the troika and would also contribute to another desirable criterion, which is gender balance.

The list below gives an indication of who the candidates were for the post of president of the EU Council of Ministers  before Herman Van Rompuy was chosen on 19 November (EurActiv 20/11/09):

Languages also a criterion

English, seen as ‘lingua franca’ throughout the EU, was spoken by all candidates, although of those listed, Felipe González, who speaks some English and good French, prefers to express himself in public in his native Spanish.

Although it has never been an official requirement, fluency in French is seen as a must for securing Paris's blessing for international top jobs. Tony Blair and Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga speak French, but those with a handicap in this respect were Bertie Ahern, Wolfgang Schüssel, Paavo Lipponen, Carl Bildt, Tarja Halonen and Mary Robinson. 

What do the citizens think?

According to a poll by Harris Interactive published in early April, most European citizens considered German Chancellor Angela Merkel to be the most influential leader in Europe, while Tony Blair was the preferred candidate for the job of EU president.

But Blair's chances appeared to be slim due to the opposition of countries like Belgium. As for Jean-Claude Juncker of Luxembourg, considered an ideal candidate by several heavyweight politicians, he was not a recognisable figure to many Europeans. As a possible EU president, he was credited with only 1% support in France, 2% in Germany, 1% in Italy and less than 1% in Spain and the UK.

Strong or 'docile' president?

EU leaders did not elect a strong leader by choosing Belgian Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy (EurActiv 20/11/09). Instead, they elected a figure who would not overshadow the leaders of big EU countries or recently re-elected European Commission President José Manuel Barroso.

Barroso previously signalled his concern that his role would be diminished by sharing international representation with the new Council president.

"The European Commission will not accept the idea that the president of European Council is the president of Europe," Barroso told MEPs on 7 October.

Some member states, such as France, indicated they wanted to create a major player with the presidential job by appointing someone who can give the EU a stronger voice on the world stage.

But Barroso said that the president of the European Council should rather be "someone who will fight to reach agreement in the European Council," a profile closer to his own.

Visible or 'discreet' High Representative?

There were also indications that competition in international representation could arise from the creation of the new post of High representative for foreign affairs and security policy.

The centre-left group in the European Parliament claimed that it should have a saying or even nominate the High representative (see EurActiv 10/09/09).

This was largely seen as a way to politcally counterbalance the re-election of Barrosos, a former centre-right prime minister, and the push would be even greater if EU leaders decided on a Council president from the ranks of the centre-right.

Heads of state preferred a discrete person in the position of high representative, opting for Trade Commissioner Baroness Catherine Ashton as a guarantee that she would not overshadow the Council president in the eyes of Europeans and the world (EurActiv 20/11/09).

The list below gives an indication of who the potential candidates were for the post of High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy before Ashton was chosen on 19 November 2009 (EurActiv 20/11/09):