FORMER TAOISEACH John Bruton has thrown his hat into the ring for the post of president of the European Council. The issue will be discussed at a two-day EU summit, which begins in Brussels today.
Speculation about the post, to be established under the Lisbon Treaty, has so far centred on the former British prime minister Tony Blair.
Mr Bruton, who is finishing a five-year term as EU ambassador to Washington, has written to the ambassadors of all 27 EU countries to the United States to announce his interest.
The letter reads: “I am writing to you about the position of president of the European Council. In view of the close working relationship we have, as ambassadors here in Washington, I hope you will allow me to ask for your assistance in conveying a message to your government. I wish to express my interest in being considered for the position, particularly in the event that no serving member of the council is available.”
The letter goes on to ask the ambassadors to convey Mr Bruton’s interest to their respective prime ministers, enclosing a memorandum outlining his qualities and experience.
The memo states that under the Lisbon Treaty, the role of president of the European Council will involve chairing and driving forward the work of the European Council.
The president will be required to maintain close and constant contact with all the members of the European Council, regardless of the size of their country. The memo stresses that consensus-building will be needed, both within the European Council itself and with the other EU institutions, as well as reporting to the European Parliament.
“John Bruton has the qualities necessary to fulfil these tasks. He has been a successful president of the European Council once already, during the Irish presidency of 1996, when he enjoyed a good working relationship with his council colleagues and the secretariat. That presidency laid the groundwork for the euro.”
The memo adds that Mr Bruton, as EU ambassador in the United States, has acquired a practical knowledge of the whole range of EU policies, and demonstrated an ability to explain those policies to a wide international audience.
“This experience would be helpful to him in performing the external relations portion of the president’s role as defined in the treaty. As an employee of the European Commission while ambassador, he has acquired a deep understanding of the unique and crucial role the commission plays in the EU system.”
The memo says that as ambassador, Mr Bruton has worked harmoniously with the ambassadors of all the 27 member states in Washington.
It points to his experience in the Convention on the Future of Europe and the Dáil, as well as running a three-party coalition government in Ireland from 1994 to 1997, which was “cohesive, harmonious and successful”. It also emphasises that as taoiseach Mr Bruton exercised the role primarily as a “chairman”, rather than in a “presidential” way.
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