Kandidatuur Verhofstad voor opvolging Prodi lijkt kansrijk (en)

Speculation is growing that the UK may be ready to give its tacit support for the Belgian premier Guy Verhofstadt to become the next Commission President.

London had originally looked like blocking Mr Verhofstadt's candidature claiming he was too federalist.

However it seems Mr Blair, in the face of support from France and Germany is struggling to fight a campaign that is gathering momentum.

According to sources quoted in the Independent, Mr Verhofstadt may now get London's backing on an economic reform ticket.

"We may have slightly under-estimated Verhofstadt", said the source, continuing, "we are very keen to pursue the jobs agenda and want the new Commission to move on it. He has good credentials to do that".

The UK had given its support to the Danish premier Anders Fogh Rasmussen. However calls for his appointment have not been well supported with just three weeks to go until the summit that is to decide who will get the post.

EPP rejects Verhofstadt

Meanwhile, Mr Verhofstadt's candidature has been rejected by the president of the conservative European People's Party (EPP) in the European Parliament, Hans-Gert Pöttering.

In an interview in the Financial Times Deutschland today (27 May), Mr Pöttering said, "He is not an acceptable candidate to me".

According to the EPP leader, the Belgian Prime Minister disqualified himself for the EU top job by organising the so-called "Pralines Summit" during the Iraq war in April 2003.

The summit on military co-operation by four countries opposing the Iraq war - France, Germany, Luxembourg and Belgium - was perceived by some as an attempt to divide Europe politically.

As an alternative to the Belgian Liberal, Mr Pöttering mentioned four conservative candidates to the Commission presidency: the Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker, the Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel, the British EU Commissioner Chris Patten and the Belgian former Prime Minister Jean-Luc Dehaene.

Leaders will meet in Brussels next month for a summit at which the Irish presidency will try and get agreement on who will follow Romano Prodi at the head of the Brussels executive. The new Commission president is due to take office on 1 November.