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President of the European Council
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| President of the European Council | |
 Flag of the European Union |
|
| Incumbent |  José Sócrates |
|---|---|
| Inaugural | Liam Cosgrave (rotational) no candidate (permanent) |
| Formation | 1975 (rotational) 2009 (permanent) |
| Website | none |
The President of the European Council is a position in the European Union that chairs the European Council. At present it is a low key position (also referred to as the "President-in-Office") which rotates between member states every six months.
Under the proposed Treaty of Lisbon, this system would be replaced by a permanent two and a half year post. If the new treaty is agreed as planned, the first permanent President would be appointed in 2009. The new position has been touted as the "President of the European Union".[1]
Contents |
- Further information: List of European Councils
The first European Council was held in 1961 as an informal summit, but only became formalised in 1974. The presidency system was based on the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, with it being hosted by the member state holding the Council Presidency. As the European Council is composed of national leaders, it was chaired by the head of state or government of the Presidency state. This "President-in-Office" position is roughly defined beyond that and rotates along with the Council Presidency every six-months.[2][3][4]
The European Constitution, drafted by the European Convention, outlined the "President of the European Council" which would replace the role of the Council Presidency in the European Council.[5] The Constitution was rejected by voters during ratification but the changes to the European Council, including the position of President, was retained in the Treaty of Lisbon, planned to come into force in 2009.[6]
The role of President-in-Office of the assembled European Council is performed by the head of government of state of the member state currently holding the Council Presidency. This presidency rotates every six months, with every three presidencies co-operating on a common programme in triplets, meaning there is also a new president of the European Council every six months. The agenda of the meetings are defined by the Presidency, hence it may be misused by the country holding the Presidency by pushing their national interests up the agenda. The presiding country may also have additional negotiators at the table.[7][8][3]
The role as President-in-Office is in no sense equivalent to an office of a head of state, merely a primus inter pares (first among equals) role with other European heads of government. The President-in-Office is primarily responsible for preparing and chairing Council meetings, and has no executive powers. It does however offer external representation of the council and the Union and reports to the European Parliament after Council meetings and at the beginning and end of the Presidency.[7][8]
As currently proposed, the new President of the European Council would be elected for a two and a half year term. The election would take place by a qualified majority among the members of the body, and the President can be removed by the same procedure. Unlike the President of the European Commission, there is no approval from the European Parliament.[5]
The President's work would be largely administrative in coordinating the work of the Council and organising the meeting. He would represent the body within the Union reporting to the European Parliament after each meeting, as well as representing the Union in foreign policy along side the High Representative.[5] However there is considerable overlap between the roles of the President, the Commission President and the High Representative, notably in foreign policy, leaving uncertainty about how much influence the President would actually have. There is further concern that the President would have enough personal and resources to fulfil their duties effectively. In lacking their own ministry, the President might become a "play ball" between EU leaders.[9]
The first President is expected to "set the job description" for future office holders[10] as there is no clear idea of how the post would evolve. One body of thought is the President would stick to the administrative role as outlined by the treaty, a standard bearer who would simply chair meetings and ensure the smooth running of the body and its policies. This would attract semi-retired leaders seeking a fitting climax to their career and would leave most work to the civil service rather than wield power within the institutions. However another opinion would see a more pro-active President within the Union and speaking for it abroad. This post would hence be quickly fashioned into a de facto "President of Europe" and, unlike the first model, would not be ignored on the world stage but would been seen as speaking for the EU. Persons connected to this position would be more charismatic leaders such as Tony Blair or Nicolas Sarkozy.[5]
- Further information: President of the European Union
Although the President may not hold a national office, such as a Prime Minister of a member state, there is no such restraint on European offices. For example, the President may be an MEP, or most notably the Commission President (who already sits in the European Council). This would allow the Council to combine the position, with its powers, of both executive bodies into a single Presidential position.[5]
Were the post not to be combined, there are concerns that the dual-presidential system would lead to "cohabitation" and infighting between the two offices. While it is comparable to the French model, where there is a President (the Council President) and Prime Minister (the Commission President), the Council President does not hold formal powers such as the ability to directly appoint and sack the other, or the ability to dissolve Parliament. Hence while the Council President may have prestige, it would lack power and while the Commission President would have power, it would lack the prestige of the former.[11] This problem may be increased further if the permanent President were to be strengthened by a democratic mandate, as mentioned above.[12]
The lack of accountability to MEPs or national parliamentarians has also cast doubt as to whether national leaders will in practice stand behind the President on major issues.[9] The President under the rotational system simply has the mandate of their member state while the permanent position would be elected by the rest of the European Council.[12]
There have been some calls for direct elections to take place to give the President a mandate, this would strengthen the post within the Council allowing for stronger leadership in addition to addressing the question of democratic legitimacy in the EU. However this might cause conflict with Parliament's democratic mandate or a potential mandate for the Commission (see section below). To give a mandate to the European Council's President would signify a development of the Union's governance towards a Presidential system, rather than a Parliamentary system.[12]
There have been a number of rumours in regards to who would be the first full time President. The former British Prime Minister Tony Blair has been the most common name. Touted as far back as 2002, rumours have re-emerged since his resignation in 2007.[13][1][14] This was backed up further when, in June 2007, French president Nicolas Sarkozy was the first leader to propose that Blair be the first president.[15] However in August 2007 there was specuation that Bertie Ahern, current Irish Taoiseach, could also be a contender.[16]
In October 2007 Sarkozy reiterated his support for Blair's candidacy following the agreement on the Reform Treaty (later known as Treaty of Lisbon). Gordon Brown, Blair's sucsessor, added his support but noted it was premature to discuss candidates before the treaty was approved. A spokesman for Tony Blair has not ruled out Blair accepting the post, saying he was concentrating on his current role in the Middle East. Some believe he is unlikely to take the position as it comes with few powers.[17]
In addition to Blair, other names have been put forward since signing of the treaty, including: former President of Poland Aleksander Kwaśniewski, Prime Minister of Luxembourg Jean-Claude Juncker and Prime Minister of Denmark Anders Fogh Rasmussen.[10]
- ^ a b Hall, Ben (2007-05-03). New post of EU chief tempts Blair. Financial Times. Retrieved on 2007-07-12.
- ^ Stark, Christine. Evolution of the European Council: The implications of a permanent seat (PDF). Dragoman.org. Retrieved on 2007-07-12.
- ^ a b van Grinsven, Peter (September 2003). The European Council under Construction (PDF). Netherlands Institution for international Relations. Retrieved on 2007-08-16.
- ^ Europa (web portal). Consolidated EU Treaties (PDF). Retrieved on 2007-06-27.
- ^ a b c d e SCADPlus: The Institutions of the Union: European Council. Europa (web portal). Retrieved on 2007-06-27.
- ^ BBC News (2007-10-19). Q&A: The Lisbon Treaty. Retrieved on 2007-11-18.
- ^ a b How does the EU work. Europa (web portal). Retrieved on 2007-07-12.
- ^ a b European Council. Europa (web portal). Retrieved on 2007-07-12.
- ^ a b Magony, Honor (2007-11-28). Unclear EU treaty provisions causing 'nervousness'. EU Observer. Retrieved on 2007-11-28.
- ^ a b Goldirova, Renata (2007-10-22). First names floated for top new EU jobs. EU Observer. Retrieved on 2007-10-22.
- ^ Hix, Simon. Why the Franco-German Plan would institutionalise 'cohabitation' for Europe. Foreign Policy Centre. Retrieved on 2007-10-01.
- ^ a b c Leinen, Jo. A President of Europe is not Utopian, it's practical politics. Europe's World. Retrieved on 2007-11-18.
- ^ Parker, George (2007). UK PM 'a serious candidate'. Financial Times. Retrieved on 2007-06-27.
- ^ Open Europe (2007). Blair for President of Europe!. Retrieved on 2007-06-27.
- ^ Parker, George (2007-06-16). Push for Blair as new EU president. Financial Times. Retrieved on 2007-07-12.
- ^ Mahony, Honor (2007-08-27). Ireland speculates on Ahern becoming EU president. EU Observer. Retrieved on 2007-07-12.
- ^ Grice, Andrew (2007-10-20). Blair emerges as candidate for 'President of Europe'. The Independent. Retrieved on 2007-10-21.
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|---|---|---|
| European Constitution · Treaty of Lisbon | ||
| New elements | Combined High Representative (External Action Service) · European Public Prosecutor · President of the European Council | |
| Modifications | Qualified Majority Voting · Institutions · Charter of Fundamental Rights · Democratic Deficit · Ordinary Legislative Procedure | |
| Ratification | Constitution Signatories · Constitution Ratification | |
| Major actors | Bertie Ahern · Tony Blair · Jacques Chirac · Valéry Giscard d'Estaing · Jarosław Kaczyński · Angela Merkel · Nicolas Sarkozy · José Sócrates · Gerhard Schröder | |
| Background | History · European Convention · Intergovernmental Conference · Laeken European Council · Berlin Declaration | |
| Documents | Previous Treaties · Draft Text · IGC Text · Proposed Amendments · Amato Group Text · Treaty of Lisbon | |