News of the appointment of Belgian President Herman Van Rompuy as the first ‘President of Europe’ and Trade Commissioner Baroness Ashton as his ‘Foreign Secretary’ seems to have been greeted with widespread disbelief. The public reaction when their names were announced was a mystified “Who?” , writes South West Conservative MEP Giles Chichester.
However, the reality behind these appointments is the reluctance of the European Council to be seen to be moving towards a European federal state.
The appointment of high-profile politicians to these positions would have confirmed to the ultra-eurosceptics that the Lisbon Treaty was indeed the next step towards creating a European federal superstate.
The fact is that Sarkozy, Merkle and the other EU heads of government are not at the moment prepared to tolerate their positions as European leaders being challenged and usurped by a populist EU President with a significant international reputation for charisma.
As things stand, this latest EU stitch up should give comfort to the eurosceptics that, for the time being, the nation state still holds sway over the superstate. But we should stay vigilant.
Giles Chichester MEP
Conservative MEP for South West England and Gibraltar
(image: Herman Van Rompuy)
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