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Belgian Van Rompuy in running to be EU president

(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-11-04 05:51

BRUSSELS: Belgian Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy has emerged as a possible candidate to become president of the European Union after former British Prime Minister Tony Blair lost his status as front-runner.

Van Rompuy, who became prime minister less than a year ago, is a low-profile leader but would be more likely to win a consensus among the 27 member states than a heavyweight statesman such as Blair, diplomats said.

The centre-right Van Rompuy, 62, came to power after a banking crisis toppled the previous government. He has been credited as a steady hand keeping together a difficult coalition.

"Rumours in diplomatic circles increasingly point to the Belgian Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy as the most likely candidate for the first European Union president," Belgian newspaper De Morgen wrote on Tuesday.

"Van Rompuy's stance as a man of compromise makes him a popular choice. Moreover he is respected for his low profile, careful and humble work ethic," it said.

EU leaders want to appoint the bloc's first long-term president and a powerful foreign policy chief as soon as possible following Czech ratification of the Lisbon treaty that outlines their responsibilities.

Sweden, which holds the EU's collective presidency, has said it will call a summit of EU leaders soon to decide on the names of candidates to fill the top jobs.

"It will be a good opportunity, especially for Europe because I think we need a consensus builder, someone who knows how to mediate, a good conciliator seeing as we are 27 nations and could be more," Anne Delvaux, a Belgian member of the European Parliament, told Belgian television.

EU member states, which could next grant membership to Croatia, have not named their preferred candidates openly.

Long-time front-runner Blair has failed to win the backing of French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, denting his hopes of securing the job.

Blair's chances have been hampered by his support for the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. He also faces opposition because Britain is not one of the 16 countries that use the euro currency and is not in the Schengen area of visa-free travel.

Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende, Luxembourg's Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker and Former Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel have been cited among the possible contenders for the position.