Too many names for EU top jobs

Rival names mentioned have included Dutch Prime Minister Peter Balkenende and former Latvian president Vaira Vike-Freiberga.

Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt on Wednesday announced a European summit next week to choose the EU's first president and a foreign policy chief, but admitted the task is a difficult one.

- When you actually speak to all 26 (European Union) colleagues you get more names than we have jobs to   offer - Reinfeldt, whose country holds the EU's rotating presidency until the end of the year, told reporters in Brussels.

With some countries proposing "more than one" candidate, - it's very easy to see that the paper then becomes very long - he bemoaned, after announcing a November 19 summit to settle the issue.

The special dinner summit will be held in Brussels next Thursday after an initial round of consultations between the 27 EU nations failed to come up with compromise candidates for the two key posts.

Reinfeldt said there was a very delicate diplomatic balancing act to be achieved between candidates from left and right, north and south, east and west, bigger and smaller nations, and indeed men and women.

- It's difficult to fill all the criteria - he added.

Nonetheless he said he intends to turn up at the summit proposing a single candidate for each of the two top jobs created under the EU's reforming Lisbon Treaty.

The post of President of the European Council, dubbed EU president, offers a maximum five-year term, but will still have to work alongside rotating six-month presidencies -- the next three are Spain, Belgium and Hungary -- at individual policy level, such as financial affairs or the environment.

The British government still backs former premier Tony Blair for the job, despite unpopularity in some European quarters over his support for the war in Iraq. Others still see Britain as being on the periphery of the European project as it has joined neither the euro currency nor the passport-free Schengen area.

The current favourite is Belgium's centre-right Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy, who has French and German support according to diplomats.

Rival names mentioned have included Dutch Prime Minister Peter Balkenende and former Latvian president Vaira Vike-Freiberga.

However, the eventual post-holder could find himself overshadowed by Berlin, London and Paris in particular and, if chosen, find the job specifications reduced to facilitator and consensus builder.

That could lead to a more high-profile role for the grandly titled High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy, with a firm platform to negotiate with the likes of China, Russia and the United States.

The name of British Foreign Secretary David Miliband had been on many lips, but his Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Tuesday that Miliband "was never a candidate."

British Business Secretary Peter Mandelson, a former EU commissioner, said he had been sounded out for the foreign policy job himself.

Former Italian prime minister Massimo D'Alema is also being talked about as a strong potential candidate.

In theory the Lisbon Treaty would allow the president's post to be agreed via a qualified majority of EU member states. In practice everyone, including Reinfeldt, wants a unanimous decision.

He said the summit would also consider who should fill a third post, that of secretary general for the European Council, a lesser position but one that might provide him with a bronze medal to award to a nation or group which fails to get one of the two top jobs.

He said qualified candidates for the EU president's post would essentially be former or current prime ministers.

The Swedish leader also faces a demand from Poland that shortlisted candidates undergo interviews.