On the 15 July when the new Europe minister, Lady Kinnock announced that the British government would back Tony Blair to become the first president of the EU there were shudders of unease within some political circles and the media. Critics of Blair point to the Iraq War and the image this would set for the EU while those in support favour his experience and as Denis MacShane points out, his ‘ability to communicate difficult messages in simple terms.’
The EU needs a president who will give the bloc a greater voice on the international stage, who will be decisive and compelling in making decisions at EU-level and represent the common voice of 27 member states.
Blair was backed by President Sarkozy as early as April last year describing him as one of ‘Europe’s greats’ and a necessity for driving Europe into the future. Blair has the energy and spirit to boost European fortunes, whether it be managing the EU’s turbulent relationship with Russia or ensuring the implementation of the Nabucco pipeline.
Not only would Blair be a positive step forward for the 27 member states but he would also be beneficial to Britain. With the recent embarrassment surrounding the Conservative party’s realignment with the far right in Europe and the resignation of their most senior MEP Edward Mcmillan-Scott, Britain’s relationship with the EU is in need of European recovery.
A CNBC Europe poll indicated that Blair was the most popular candidate for the EU presidency with 37% of the vote, ahead of German chancellor Angela Merkel with 23% and Luxembourg prime minister Jean-Claude Juncker with 12%.
With Blair as president, Europe would benefit and so would Britain.
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