Habemus praesidentem?
Shortly, white smoke will appear over a building in a European capital and, apparently after having checked that the incumbent has testicles, a new political figure will be anointed with little formal power but great powers of influence and suggestion.
Not habemus papam, but habemus praesidentem consilium europeum1.
As you may be aware, I am not the head of government of any member of the European Union, and so I do not have a vote for President of the European Council. If I had a vote, I would seriously consider casting my ballot for Vaira Vike-Freiberga.
Partially, this is because I would like the President to be a woman – there are too many people at the top levels of European politics who have their genitalia on the outside – but mostly because she understands one of big the problems that the EU (and, I would say, quite a lot of EU democracies) has – the feeling of closedness and distance from the citizen. Having an election without the candidates being declared, behind closed doors and with only a few people being able to vote is rather too close to a papal conclave for my liking. If nothing else, a proper election would give us opportunity to have a semi-decent debate about Europe and look at what policies and ideas are on offer.
It’s worth looking at this letter in the FT, published on the 15th, on the subject of gender balance at the top of the EU from Margot Wallström, Diana Wallis, and my favourite EU Commissioner, ‘Steely’ Neelie Kroes.
xD.
1 – I don’t think Latin actually has a word for president other than praestes which has a religious connotation, so this is the accusative present active participle of praesideo, I preside. Corrections gratefully accepted.
