Who do you see as the first president of the EU Council President (if the constitution is ratified by all EU country...)?

I'll be president of Europe if you give me the power - Blair | Special Reports | Guardian Unlimited Politics

Blair? Anyone else?

Sarkozy is fine with it, they are kind of friends...

But why not? Maybe it would give British people more trust in the EU? At the same time, why a British guy? UK is not part of the Shengen, not part of the Euro zone, and Blair did allmost nothing regarding EU when he was PM... And Blair is kind of unpopular at the same time in Britain regarding his mistake on Iraq so maybe it wouldn't make any good in UK...

Me I would prefer a pro-european guy from a "small" EU country than a French or a German for example...

Why not from a new EU country from Eastern Europe? Any thoughts?

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Not Britain, please not Britain.

The EU will become a big super market.

I would also a favour a "small" country ... A strong personality. Vaclav Havel for instance : somebody everybody knows.

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______________________Own only what you can always carry with you: know languages, know countries, know people. Let your memory be your travel bag.”___________________Alexander Solzhenitsyn

what do you mean a big supermarket? why?

Who is Vaclav Havel

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If Blair would be president of the EU, he wouldn't represent Britain and Britains policies, so brittish reluctance to join the Schengen for example shouldn't matter in the election.

He has shown some very bad judgement as prime minister (the war against Iraq) , I think someone more thoughtful should be president, like the swedish foreign minister Carl Bildt.

Well, an economic zone to exchange product : period. Political Europe is not on the British agenda.

Vaclav Havel is a Czech writer, a dissident during the communist era and the first president of the republic of the Czech Republic.
Václav Havel - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Maybe he is better known in Germany than in the rest of Europe.

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______________________Own only what you can always carry with you: know languages, know countries, know people. Let your memory be your travel bag.”___________________Alexander Solzhenitsyn

No one.
EU is an Union of independent nations, such an organization does not require yet another ceremonial figure.
(and of course, because I like only one thing the EU has brought)

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En uneksi. I do not dream.

Impressive CVs from Vaclav Havel and Carl Bildt But historically Havel is more impressive

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Ok, but it is not the point here :/

(what is the only thing you like from the EU?)

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Yes, I was wondering too

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______________________Own only what you can always carry with you: know languages, know countries, know people. Let your memory be your travel bag.”___________________Alexander Solzhenitsyn

What would the president of the EU do? What would be his powers?

I would want another term than "President", since "President" is often used to denote the Head of State in a sovereign country which is a republic.

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President Josiah Bartlet: Sweden has a 100% literacy rate. 100%! How do they do that?
Leo McGarry: Maybe they don't and they can't add.

It's been called presidency since 1958.

About the powers: there are no direct powers. The European Council (of which Blair would be president) merely sets the agenda for quarterly meetings of the heads of state/governement and reports to the parliament, it is not directly involved in the legislative or executive process.

The new president could play a larger role in foreign relations. Now they often send Commission president Barosso to international meetings, the Council president could do this instead. This is not possible now since the Council presidency changes every 6 months and he primarily represents his own country.

President only means that you "preside", nothing else. I know some associations in the <UK where the president has so to say no power : he tells speeches (he does not even write them, LOL). The important person is the "Chairman" of the Board of Directors.

But President is a word most countries will understand as a representative and very important function.

At the moment, the President of the EU changes every six months. The president is the head of the State taking over the presidency for the period, who happens to be in office at that time. The next six-month president of Europe will be Nicolas Sarkozy, poor Europe, LOL.

The idea therefore is to create a real position - this would give a "face" to the EU. At the moment it has none and I would think (but maybe I am wrong) that Barosso is less known than Vaclav Havel .

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______________________Own only what you can always carry with you: know languages, know countries, know people. Let your memory be your travel bag.”___________________Alexander Solzhenitsyn

Yes president is nothing... you can be president very easy, for instance in France for CEO we say PDG President Directeur General, and you can be president of an association etc... no big deal

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The problem is that the presidents of the associations do not do the work, but their staff, including the directeur ... This creates conflicts though because people like honourific titles - believe me I am talking from painful experience.

This is why the French invented the Président Directeur Général, in order to avoid this kind of conflicts.

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______________________Own only what you can always carry with you: know languages, know countries, know people. Let your memory be your travel bag.”___________________Alexander Solzhenitsyn