Blair 'not right' for Euro president

The first president of Europe must be a “decent national statesman” with “impeccable” European credentials – and that rules out Tony Blair, a former senior eurocrat said today.

Frenchman Pierre Defraigne, once the Commission’s deputy director-general for trade, set out the case against the former prime minister in an article published today in European Voice, the Brussels weekly newspaper.

With speculation mounting that Mr Blair is being seriously considered for the new role created by the Lisbon Treaty, Mr Defraigne pulls no punches.

“For ordinary EU citizens, the choice of a figure as controversial as Tony Blair for the job would be a blow.

"The list of those for whom his selection would be a blow starts with those British voters who long dreamt of ousting the ’Prince of Spin’, a man whose legacy looks very thin despite his decade in 10 Downing Street. Giving Blair another lease of political life might make the British resent the EU even more.”

The article says: “For the inaugural stint in this high-profile function, EU citizens should expect the selection of a decent national statesman, a statesman with impeccable European credentials, a respected and experienced politician, with a genuine ability to convince his former colleagues with the right mix of technical and political skills".

“Blair is not that man. He is just another British populist.”

The arguments for and against Mr Blair will rage on as EU leaders move towards an summit later this month at which they hope to consider the personalities suitable for the job.

Mr Blair is keeping quiet about a currently non-existent job for which no-one can officially apply and which has no detailed job description.

EU diplomats deny that this means no-one is sure what a “President of Europe” should do:

“It means that the actual role will be shaped by the person who gets the job” one explained.