No deal among leaders over EU posts

EU leaders have been unable to reach agreement on who should fill the posts of the new president and foreign minister.

Sources have said that the decision to be made at a special summit to be held in the next few days will most likely be by a majority decision. As far as possible the union prefers to reach consensus and avoid voting on an issue but so far they have not been able to agree on a team of two.

Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt has been consulting his 26 colleagues in an effort to get agreement. But when discussions ended last night there did not seem to be clear front runners that everyone could agree on.

There appears to be a majority emerging for a president from a small member state – probably Belgian Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy and a foreign minister from a large state.

This could indicate a preference for Britain’s foreign secretary David Miliband who, despite turning up unexpectedly in Berlin where leaders gathered for the 20th anniversary of the fall of the wall, continued to deny he was interested.

One of the alternatives is Massimo D’Alemo, the 60-year-old former Italian prime minister. Poland has said they do not favour him as he was a member of the Italian Communist party while others point out he does not speak English.

There is also speculation that former taoiseach John Bruton may be considered for the foreign minister post – and that this is the reason Taoiseach Brian Cowen has not yet named Ireland’s commissioner.

Ireland is one of just seven countries that have not nominated its commissioner yet and Mr Cowen says this is because he is in discussions with Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso about portfolios.

Mr Bruton, who has just retired as the EU’s ambassador in Washington, has put himself forward for the job of president but it’s thought that he would prefer the job of looking after the EU’s new extended foreign policy remit.

However, up to now the Taoiseach has made it quite clear he would not support Mr Bruton unless other countries pushed for him. To get the job of foreign minister, he would have to be nominated by Mr Cowen as Ireland’s Commissioner.

The odds still favour former Fianna Fáil justice minister Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, serving her second term in the EU’s Court of Auditors. She did not turn up at a press event for the release of the court’s annual report in Brussels yesterday and her spokesperson said she had to be in Dublin on personal business.

The EU’s Swedish presidency is expected to announce today a date for a special summit of EU leaders to choose people for the new posts.