Opinion Personnel issues

But,behind the scenes the Eurocrat elite dominated by French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel decided the new president would be “low-profile,from a small country.”

In fact,something of a template had been decided upon following the new treaty’s ratification. One position would go to a man and the other a woman,the bloc would be balanced politically as one appointee would be centre-right and the other centre-left,and that one would come from the EU’s bigger territory and the other would be a smaller state representative.

This type of thinking is consistent with EU states strategy: a powerful president could lead to an erosion of sovereignty. In fact Van Rompuy seems somewhat of an adequate fit. He was tasked with the role of balancing the opposing Belgian and Flemish factions in his home country — a job that he did remarkably well. Ashton — previously a trade commissioner — has been credited with bringing to the table an elusive deal with South Korea. Thus,Van Rompuy was seen as someone adept at “building consensus” and Ashton an “effective administrator”.

Naturally the issue of accountability has been raised. The EU finds itself in a bit of a fix in this situation. Should there be a Europe-wide election,the concept of national sovereignty is not simply challenged but could get negated. Furthermore,should a shortlist be prepared,the national leader is held accountable should he favour a candidate from a foreign country.

The man behind the idea of a European president,former French President,Valery Giscard d’Estaing,took a backseat by stating that “EU leaders had not chosen a George Washington” but rather they had opted for a president who would be “one of them rather than above them.”

Speaking on the new appointments,the Europe specialist at Chatham House said,“In Beijing,Moscow and Washington policy-makers and analysts will be hard pressed to discern anything from these appointments. Neither seems to signal any clear intent for a new direction and character for the EU or the future direction of its foreign policy.”

What can be deciphered from the new posts are the powerhouses of the EU — Germany and France. It should be noted that only after the French withdrew support for Blair and sided with Germany that a softer candidate was opted for. Further,by appointing a British individual to the chair the foreign policy post,Britain remains somewhat pacified.

However,the bloc has another opportunity to display its direction,this time through economic appointments.

Two other posts need to be filled in January — those of Europe’s economic commissioners. The European Council on Foreign Relations maintains that it is these two positions which “have real power to shape Europe’s economic destiny.” France and Germany now appear to have a free hand in deciding who occupies these positions. 

The two appointments seen so far have been of the lowest common denominator. What remains to be seen is whether the economic commissioners that will be appointed are merely to pacify the bloc — thereby failing the restructuring proposed by the Lisbon Treaty — or whether they take the EU in a new direction.

Thus far,the bloc has punched below its weight. The next round of appointments will indicate whether the EU is moving in a new direction — and whether it has the capacity and political will to evolve.

alia.allana@expressindia.com

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