Kopacz nominated for PM of Poland

[ingemann]

The lack of response to this thread seems to confirm that, save for typical idiotic reaction from the Polish media (zomgz great success in Europe!!11), nobody cares about this basically figurehead position.

No I do in fact think it's a great position, through I'm not sure it's better than being PM of Poland.

Of course the choice of Tusk also show that they have great respect for the man, as it's hard to imagine another person who didn't talk French or English, and was as headstrong as him being selected would be unthinkable, usual they select competent, multilingual wall flowers.

 

I agree this won't change the direction of EU's foreign policy one way or another.

While Presidency of the Council is, in theory, a powerful post, its pretty much become a ceremonial presiding officer, as evident with Van Rumpoy's tenure. All the President can really do is trying to play a consensul-builder, but it can work only if heads of governments play along.

Van Rumpoy have had significant influence as president, but most of it have been behind close doors, something which seem to fit well with him.

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I think the position's power are based on the person which have it want to do with it, a weak stateman can get little out of it, a consensus seeking stateman can use it as a position as consensus builder (which was what we could have expected with Thorning). I look forward to see what Tusk bring to the position, my hope are that it will bring a much needed edge to the position.

[ingemann]

You can call me a Negative Nancy, but I'm still sceptical. I'm not going to buy the whole "picked because respected" thing. If EU leaders wanted a strong political personality to run the Council, they would have went with a tested statesman in 2009, like Juncker, instead of reaching to the second tier (while Van Rumpoy did very well, he wasn't really a prime candidate back then).

I think you're something of a "Negative Nancy";p, first of all van Rompuy was very respected among the European leaders, yes he have little charisma, and look like the archetype of bureaucrats. But EU needed someone, who had his skill set and he was in fact head hunted and almost forced to take the position.

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Yes to some extent this is true, but there are a reason Tusk was choosen, from his good relationship with Merkel to the fact that Poland are the most important Eastern member, and if they didn't think he could fill the position (which demand that diplomatic skills and the ability to make people reach compromises), they would have found another. They could easily have send the same message, by choosing a East European High Representative for Foreign Affairs. So the choice of Tusk are a major thumps up to him and to Poland, which have gone from a pariah in EU to one of the major and well respected actors under Tusk.

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That sound like a excellent skill set for a EU president.

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No but he can effect the future dealing with Russia after this crisis.