The British government will give their full support to Tony Blair if he puts himself forward for the new EU presidency, Glenys Kinnock said today.
The new Europe minister was speaking in Strasbourg at the opening session for the new European parliament.
Although the former prime minister has yet to formally declare his candidacy, Kinnock said: “The UK government is supporting Tony Blair’s candidature for president of the council.
“Blair is seen by many as someone who has the strength of character, the stature. People know who he is, and he would be someone who would have this role and step into it with a lot of respect and I think would be generally welcomed.”
Support for a Blair presidency is by no means unanimous in Europe. Fredrik Reinfeldt, the Swedish prime minister and current holder of the rotating EU presidency, is known to be strongly opposed to the idea.
He declined to discuss possible candidates individually, but stressed the fact that “very many names” were expected.
The Spanish prime minister, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, who will hold the EU presidency from January, is also an opponent of Blair's.
The new post will be created as part of a streamlining of EU governance under the Lisbon treaty, if it is endorsed in an Irish referendum in early October.
The president would be elected by the European Council, a body made up of the heads of government of EU member states, for a minimum of 30 months and a maximum of five years.
If Ireland backs the treaty, EU leaders are expected to select a president at a summit, chaired by Reinfeldt, at the end of October.
Blair has chosen not to declare himself as a candidate before the outcome of the Irish referendum, and Kinnock’s remarks are the first confirmation that he will run for the position.
However, the EU presidency is currently notional. In their first referendum, the Irish voted against the Lisbon Treaty, and could do so again.
A spokesman for Tony Blair said: “Nothing has changed. The job doesn't exist, so there is nothing to be a candidate for.”
