Will the EU's new office holders bring more clarity to the European bloc -- or more chaos?
This Thursday evening will be a busy one indeed for the leaders of the European Union member states. A "working dinner" in Brussels for European leaders starts at 6 p.m. -- but it may well go all night.
The EU's leaders are meeting to work out who exactly should be filling the EU's two important new jobs . The jobs are that of the bloc's first president and first foreign minister, whose actual title will be the high representative for common foreign and security policy (see graphic).
Discussions about who is best to fill these positions have been marked by multiple nominees for the jobs, confusion, disillusionment and fears that -- with all the jockeying for position, left-vs-right party politics and veiled nationalism -- the EU could miss the opportunity to become a more unified force in its dealings with the rest of the world.
On Thursday, German commentators were quick to point out the reality of the situation. Although the EU is trying to present a more united front to the world, all they are really doing is adding more personnel to European delegations attending international forums, some said.
Commentators also had plenty of advice for EU leaders, suggesting that they put aside their prejudices and power issues and, instead, outline exactly what it is that is required of those who would hold the top jobs. They also all conclude that issues involving the EU presidency and foreign ministry must be resolved if the 27-country bloc finally wants to speak with one voice.
The Financial Times Deutschland writes:
"This is how you would proceed if you ran a business and you were looking for a new chairman of the board and another leading staff member to look after relationships with your investors. To get a rational result and to avoid any conflicts of interest, the board would ask an unbiased human resources consultant to find the right people for the job. The headhunter would first analyze the two top jobs, work out what was required and then present the best candidates for the job."
"Should German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her 26 colleagues from the European Union follow this example this evening in Brussels, there would not be much left to talk about. Luxembourg's Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker would get the job of first permanent president of the EU. And the British foreign minister, David Miliband, would become the first European foreign minister."
"The European heads of state and government are concerned about their own presence on the international stage. This is why, during follow-up negotiations and re-adjustments to legislation, they have been determined to relieve the new president-to-be of some of his responsibilities. Now nobody knows whether the EU president will be allowed to represent the EU at important global forums, such as the G-20, the meeting of the 20 leading industrialized and developing nations. And the danger is that the EU president will not end up making the EU's position any clearer. Rather, the president will only add to the current confusion."
"The powers that the EU foreign minister-to-be will have are also being pruned. The EU's top diplomat would actually have the opportunity to build himself a power center in Europe. He or she would lead all of the EU's foreign ministers; he or she would have a diplomatic service employing thousands and would simultaneously become the vice-president of the European Commission. But the malicious rumor doing the rounds in Europe's capital cities and in Brussels is that it would be better if this would-be strongman (or woman) was a weakling. Because a lot of the issues that the EU needs to negotiate on with international partners, like China and Russia, involve things the EU foreign minister isn't responsible for -- such as monetary, market and energy policies."
"This evening, the EU's leaders will be able to name candidates for these top jobs. And if, at this decisive moment, Merkel and her colleagues choose not to act in the EU's interests, then the EU will simply lose more power and influence."
The center-left Süddeutsche Zeitung writes:
"Only political dreamers could possibly see the back-and-forth bickering about the EU's two top jobs as a sign of democratic maturity. In fact, this fight is actually only about the fact that the EU member nations are unwilling to look beyond their own national or party-political boundaries."
"This Thursday, there is a European summit devoted to discussions about these two top jobs. Those talks will collapse if they neglect to do the following: The tasks required of the two new offices must be examined and analyzed. This will make it clear who the most suitable personnel for the job are -- regardless of origin, gender or political orientation. This is the only way that the EU will be able to work its way out of the mess it is currently in."
The conservative Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung writes:
"How powerful the European presidency is will depend very much on the skills of the first office holder. However there are two illusions that he -- or she -- must dispel. Firstly, that the EU's image will become clearer and that the EU will be more unified in the future. And, secondly, that the question of EU leadership will have been resolved. Neither of these things is going to happen."
"For example, when the G-20 comes together again next year, the EU delegation -- along with all the other national delegations sent by the EU states -- will have grown larger. There will be more representatives of the EU than ever, and the other non-EU nations will hardly know with whom they should be dealing. The addition to the EU's representation could cause confusion."
"There's an inherent irony to this situation: America, China and Brazil have all called for a more concentrated version of Europe. Meanwhile, the Europeans are simply creating more jobs."
"And it's not going to get any clearer. Responsibility for the EU is simply being placed on even more shoulders. So, can the EU's leadership actually be optimized? Maybe. Now that the EU has a president, the first office holder must actually want to lead -- and the member states must support him. It is in their own best interests to give the EU more weight on the international scene."
-- Cathrin Schaer
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