Cox ‘perfect’ for president of commission

WITH the chill autumn winds blowing around the street corners of Brussels there is a sense that the EU is unravelling at the edges.

This has to do with the end of another five-year term coming up for the European Parliament and the Commissioners in June.

For months now people in the cabinets of the various commissioners have been applying for more long-term jobs in the commission civil service itself.

There is a sense that there is not much reason to launch initiatives in case those responsible will not be there to see them through.

One person who knows he will be out of his current job in June however is parliament president Pat Cox.

The parties and the people will decide on Ireland's 13 MEPs in June but it will be up to the Taoiseach to appoint the new commissioner. There will also be three other positions open the President of the Commission and two new posts, President of the Council and EU Minister for Foreign Affairs.

The President of the Commission is nominated by his fellow college of commissioners, but must be approved by the heads of state. In effect, government leaders make the decision, which makes this a very political issue.

Getting consensus can be very difficult. Former Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi was strongly supported by British Prime Minister Tony Blair and was considered a good compromise candidate at the time.

There is some talk that Pat Cox would be interested in this job.

But there are also signs that Pat Cox is.

Fianna Fail had a tendency to use the jobs in Europe to get rid of people from the national scene.

But having an able Irish politician as Mr Cox as president of the commission would be no bad move.