Ireland should go all-out for EU triple crown
The council has to propose a commission presidential candidate who has credibility and can create the conditions to reverse this poll trend and instill in European citizens the benefits of having the constitution ratified and indeed in membership of the union itself.
It must be a candidate who will not have his or her presidency overshadowed by a debate on whether he or she is likely to be an alternative head of government or party leader in the final year of his/her tenure.
The fundamental role of a commission president is to be the guardian of the EU treaties. Such a leader should come from a country that has adopted the euro and, more importantly, from a country that respects a fundamental principle of the founding fathers of Treaty of Rome the free movement of workers. There is only one member state that qualifies under these criteria, and that is Ireland, the success story of the EU innovative, competitive, with low inflation and low unemployment.
An Irish EU Commission president would understand the challenges facing new member states, and Ireland could offer its own constitutional experience of consulting its citizens in the ratification of all treaties since its membership of the then Common Market in 1973.
As English is the first or second language of the majority of the union's citizens, it would be most advantageous to have a competent, English-speaking president who could gel the peoples of Europe and foster economic and political links with the global community.
Ireland can offer two suitably qualified candidates Bertie Ahern, the outgoing president of the European council, and Pat Cox, the outgoing president of the European Parliament. It should not be a question of which member state will have its nominee approved, but more a question of whether it is going to President Ahern or President Cox. Either way, it would mean Ireland holding the presidency of the European council, parliament and commission in the one year.
President Cox or President Ahern the triple crown for Ireland. Why not?
DJ Buckley,
Val des Epinettes 24,
1150 Brussels,
Belgium.
