On 22nd July 2009, Richard Laming wrote - "Sometimes the simplest questions are the best ones. I was asked last week, in response to some newspaper suggestions that Tony Blair was being talked about as a possible president of the European Council (a post created by the Lisbon treaty should it come into force), why he was not interested in becoming president of the European Commission instead? After all, the Commission president is the one with the power. This is the role that controls the legislative agenda, allocates the budget and appoints the other members of the Commission. To be elected to the role requires the approval of the European Parliament, which is the directly-elected representative of the citizens of Europe. (This is a position analogous to that of a prime minister within a member state.)" Read on -
http://www.federalunion.org.uk/blog/2009/07/blair-for-commission.html
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