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Vodka, Ouzo, Rakia or Limoncello. A question of dosage for the new European cocktail

(BRUSSELS2) It is a text, of a few lines, appearing in the long list of declarations appended to the Treaty. It bears the number 6 and - for those who attended or remember the debates preceding the adoption of the Treaty of Lisbon - had been adopted after a certain battle for influence waged in particular by Poland and some new Member States to obtain their place in the European firmament.

Today, somewhat forgotten, she finds during this long European summit prelude to a new choice of European personalities, a certain luster.

“The choice of persons called upon to occupy the functions of President of the European Council, President of the Commission and High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy must take due account of the need to respect geographical diversity and demographics of the Union and of its Member States. »

The new "top three" of the European Union will therefore have to be the expression of this subtle balance. With the President of the Commission already chosen, there are only two other positions left — President of the European Council, High Representative of the EU — to ensure this balance. In other words, it seems difficult to agree on just one of the two remaining positions (contrary to what certain fairly informed observers of the European question maintain).

Big, small, old, new, right, left, south, east, woman, man...

The President of the Commission, JC Juncker, represents a "small country", from "central-western Europe" and "old Member State".

It remains for the other two positions to choose a representative of a "large country" and that of a "medium country"; a country from the "East" and a country from the "South"; and at least one new Member State. To this must be added the political balance (at least one social democrat) and the gender balance (at least one woman).

Shake, check, and don't forget that you need the unanimous or almost unanimous agreement of the "28" on the 2 personalities chosen (as well as Jean-Claude Juncker for the High Representative). So you can get an idea of ​​why the discussions go on for so long... and why the "28 chose to finally meet again at the end of the summer (August 30th)... time to find the subtle dose of this new European cocktail which will remain to be enjoyed, then, during the next 5 years!

(Nicolas Gros-Verheyde)

(Updated Thursday night)

Nicolas Gros Verheyde

Chief editor of the B2 site. Graduated in European law from the University of Paris I Pantheon Sorbonne and listener to the 65th session of the IHEDN (Institut des Hautes Etudes de la Défense Nationale. Journalist since 1989, founded B2 - Bruxelles2 in 2008. EU/NATO correspondent in Brussels for Sud-Ouest (previously West-France and France-Soir).

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