Presidential stitch-up won't help the EU

Published on Wednesday 18 November 2009 20:39

FOR an institution seeking to build legitimacy at home and influence abroad, the European Union's chaotic search for a president and "High Representative of Foreign Affairs" threatens to descend into farce.

There is still no sign of agreement – but an ever lengthening list of contenders – as the EU's 27 leaders are due to attend a dinner this evening to confirm the appointments. Almost with every day the list of mooted candidates is lengthening to include names from Sweden, Spain and Latvia as well as the UK and Belgium. Now come predictions that the dinner could last until breakfast amid talk of deadlock.

Of greater concern are indications from German chancellor Angela Merkel and French president Nicolas Sarkozy that they would be jointly backing a single candidate. This would fuel the suspicions that democratic consultation will be cast to the winds and a Franco-German axis will effectively make the final decision.

The key aim of the Lisbon Treaty was to provide for the strengthening of EU institutions. But this last-minute scramble suggests an incoherence of purpose at the heart. The EU seems hopelessly split between wanting a global figure to speak for it (Tony Blair) and a committee co-ordinator. This in turn reflects more profound uncertainty as to what these new roles entail and whether there is really a common purpose. What the EU must not be is a Franco-German axis writ large.