Downing Street Says » EU Presidency

» Wednesday, October 28, 2009

EU Presidency

Asked if the Prime Minister would actively lobby for Tony Blair in Brussels, the PMS said if Tony Blair decided to become a candidate for the role, the Prime Minister would be delighted to support him. The PMS said candidacy needed to be established and although talks in the margins could not be ruled out, the Prime Minister was attending Brussels to engage with scheduled issues such as economic recovery, unemployment and climate change finance.

Put that the Prime Minister was supporting a bid for un-unelected body while troops were fighting for democracy in Afghanistan, the PMS said the Prime Minister was enormously supportive of everything troops were doing in Afghanistan, and that the Lisbon Treaty set out publicly the role of President of the Council.

Asked repeatedly if the Prime Minister would raise the subject of Tony Blair’s candidacy at Brussels, either formally in bilateral meetings or informally, the PMS said formal bilateral meetings were still being decided.

Asked what the Prime Minister’s view was on Jean Claude Junker’s statement that the EU President should come from a country fully involved in the EU, the PMS said that if Tony Blair puts himself forward as a candidate, the Prime Minister would support him and believed Tony Blair had the attributes that would be right for the role.

Asked about the process of a possible Tony Blair candidacy, the PMS replied there was no formal process that involved the UK Government.

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