France, Germany, Spain and Austria stuck daggers into the Blair EU presidency bid in and around a summit in Brussels on Thursday (29 October), with Belgian, Dutch, Irish and Latvian names also on diplomats' lips.
Senior sources from the entourage of French President Nicolas Sarkozy said the new EU president and the related post of EU foreign minister would have to strike "a balance" between the ambitions of Europe's centre-right and centre-left political families.
Paris also call...
Back our independent journalism by becoming a supporting member
Already a member? Login hereAndrew Rettman is EUobserver's foreign editor, writing about foreign and security issues since 2005. He is Polish, but grew up in the UK, and lives in Brussels. He has also written for The Guardian, The Times of London, and Intelligence Online.
Andrew Rettman is EUobserver's foreign editor, writing about foreign and security issues since 2005. He is Polish, but grew up in the UK, and lives in Brussels. He has also written for The Guardian, The Times of London, and Intelligence Online.