Power struggles
November 18, 2009
For years, stronger and weaker governments, extroverted and more reserved characters have come and gone twice a year, as the presidency of the Council of the European Union is rotated between EU member states every six months.
Under the Treaty of Lisbon, there will be a new position to head the Council: the President of the European Council, to be elected for two and a half years. The Council of Ministers will continue to rotate under the new treaty.
Guenter Gloser, a senior German Foreign ministry official, says that whoever is appointed to that position should be skilled in building consensus. It should also, Gloser said, be someone who is "accepted within the EU, and who is also a good representative for the EU, giving it a face."
Two top jobs
The other top job to be filled is that of the High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy.
The European Commission's Foreign Policy Chief and the Commissioner for External Relations are currently responsible for foreign policy issues. The Lisbon Treaty merges the two posts, creating the position of "EU High Representative" - in effect, a kind of EU foreign minister.
The High Representative also serves as the Commission's vice president, he is a member of the Council and the Commission, and he heads the Council of Foreign Ministers. This was an improvement over previous practice, Gloser said, and added he expected a major synergy effect in this important area of EU policies.
Jostling for position?
The European Parliament also stands to profit from the reform document, Jacki Davis of the Brussels-based think-tank European Policy Centre told Deutsche Welle: it would, for the first time, have a say in legal and domestic policies.
But Davis also predicted power struggles: "There will be a certain amount of tension among all three: the Commission President, the Council President and the new Foreign Policy chief. To some extent, all of them will want to represent the EU on the world stage."
It was still far from clear, Davis said, who would really represent the EU to the world.
Christoph Hasselbach/db
Editor: Trinity Hartman