Reading the various articles in your issue of 8 October about the top posts that would be created by the Lisbon treaty convinces me that the president of the European Council should not come from a large member state.
However, the high representative for foreign and security policy should come from a large member state, to ensure international recognition.
Chris Patten has all the qualifications to be ‘foreign minister': a former European commissione for external affairs, a man of international standing with excellent relations with the US and China, and a supporter of European integration.
Selecting Patten might also influence David Cameron's Conservatives, when and if they come to power in the UK.
This means that the president of the European Council would need to be a Socialist.
Tarja Halonen, Finland's current president, is a former minister with portfolios that included foreign affairs, justice, Nordic co-operation, social affairs and health. She would be an appropriate first president.
From:
Stanley Crossick
Brussels
