Ahern could top list of EC President candidates

A BRITISH think-tank considers Spanish NATO chief Javier Solana the best European Commission President from Britain’s point of view, but if Taoiseach Bertie Ahern were to enter the fray he would likely top the list.

Mr Solana is closely followed by current president, Ireland’s Pat Cox. Mr Solana, currently the EU’s foreign policy ‘high representative’, gets nine out of 10 in an assessment by the London-based European Policy Forum, which describes him as “a dream candidate for the UK.”

Mr Cox scores eight out of 10 for charm, communication skills and market economics. He is “a transparently decent and honest man”, says Forum president and former Tory Euro-MP Graham Mather.