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Poland is against Tony Blair
Tony Blair, a former UK Prime Minister, who admitted spending millions of public money for spin doctors and PR specialists during his term of office, is not Poland’s favorite for EU President Function.
The issue is not Tony Blair himself, but the role of EU President (this is a new function that was enacted by the Lisbon Treaty). Poland believes that the initiative should stay with the rotating presidency, while the new EU president should play a secondary administrative and organizational role, with a focus on consensus building. Tony Blair, who was described by his political opponents “as a person who is addicted to being in the center of attention” is definitely not a low-profile figure that could host this function.
Polish position is backed by Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Sweden, and Austria, as well as a considerable number of politicians in… UK.
However at this point of time the discussion is still theoretical as Czech Republic still needs to ratify the Lisbon Treaty. Meanwhile, Poland is preparing to take over the EU's rotating presidency in the second half of 2011.
