EU leaders ponder candidates for bloc presidency this week

BRUSSELS: European Union leaders were expected to continue an informal discussion today on who should become the bloc's first long-term president, a post that is to be created under the EU's Lisbon treaty on institutional reform.

The president of the Council of EU leaders will be picked unanimously for a two-and-a-half-year term, strengthening the current system of a six-month presidency that member states hold in turn.

This will happen only if the Czech Republic ratifies the treaty. The other 26 EU countries have done so.

That means no formal selection will take place until at least next week, since the Czech Constitutional Court yesterday postponed its verdict on a legal challenge to the treaty until November 3.

Klaus likely to sign treaty

President Vaclav Klaus has promised to sign the EU Lisbon treaty provided he gets the Czech opt-out from the EU charter of rights he has long demanded, Prime Minister Jan Fischer said this week.

Klaus is the only European Union leader who has not ratified the treaty, aimed at giving the bloc of 500 million people a more united voice on the global scene by creating a long-term presidency and the post of foreign representative with enhanced powers.

Diplomats say they expect no formal discussions and no nominations at the summit, but informal discussions are expected, at least on the job description.

Some member states want a powerful leader for president with name recognition outside the EU who would open doors in Washington, Beijing and Moscow - an approach that would clearly favor Blair. Others hope to see a more bureaucratic president who would lead by consensus and be skilled at securing compromises between member states.

The Lisbon treaty gives greater powers to the EU's foreign policy chief, and creates an external action service designed to give the bloc more global influence.

All eyes on Blair

Although he has not declared his candidacy, Blair has long been a front runner, backed by those who want a heavyweight in international diplomacy for the post to strengthen the bloc's global influence.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said recently it was a problem for Blair that Britain remained outside the group of 16 countries that use the euro currency. But diplomats say Sarkozy still favors the former British prime minister and France's foreign minister this week supported Blair's candidacy.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has not stated a position on Blair, and her views could be decisive.

Some members of the European Parliament are gathering signatures under a petition to rule Blair out and Britain's opposition Conservatives, who are expected to win power next year, oppose his candidacy as a "hostile act".

Some find him problematic because of his support for the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, and his lackluster record as Middle East envoy.