UK dismay over Franco-German bid to grab top economics job

By Martin Banks

Date: 20/055/04

GERMANY and the UK are engaged in a behind-the-scenes competition to land the top economic post in the future European Commission which will take office on 1 November, European Voice has learned.

Sources close to the man tipped to be the UK's next commissioner, former cabinet minister Peter Mandelson, say his hopes of becoming the Commission's vice-president in charge of economic affairs may have been scuppered by a Franco-German deal.

Under this pact, Berlin's envoy would land this job, seen as crucial for shaping the EU's future economic policies.

Mandelson, one of British Prime Minister Tony Blair's most trusted advisors, is seen in London as senior enough to obtain the influential post.

But sources close to the former UK minister say any ambitions he may have had of securing the job will fail because of the Franco-German deal.

A spokesman for France's permanent representation to the EU denied the existence of any such agreement but confirmed Paris favours a German appointment. "We are aware that Germany is pressing for this post and we will help in any way we can."

However, London says such a move would not go down well with other EU member states, given the indifferent economic performance of both France and Germany in recent times.

"It would be akin to putting the criminals in charge of the prison," said a source at the UK's permanent representation to the EU.

"Given the recent economic record of France and Germany and their apparent dismissal of the Stability Pact rules, I hardly think a German official in such a post would go down well with most member state governments," the source added.

German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, however, who was the first to call for the creation of a post of Commission vice-president for economic matters, is said to insist on one of his nationals landing the job.

Günter Verheugen, the present enlargement commissioner, is likely to be reappointed in the next Commission team.

As Verheugen is notoriously not interested in economic issues, Economy Minister Wolfgang Clement could, in the end, be sent to Brussels, if Schröder insists on the post going to a German.

According to sources, in exchange for either of these two being appointed 'super commissioner', Germany would give its backing to France's bid to retain control of the day-to-day running of the Council of Ministers through the reappointment of its Deputy Secretary-General Pierre de Boissieu.

But such plans have been greeted with dismay by the UK.

"Any deal is not binding in any case as it is up to the new president of the Commission to allocate jobs," the permanent representation source said.

Article suggests that France and Germany have come to an arrangement whereby a German national will be given the top economic post in the new European Commission, thwarting the UK's hope to gain the post.