Blair's presidency chances slipping

The Swedish government, which holds the current rotating presidency, was keen to downplay talk of who will get either of the top EU jobs (the other being the High Representative for foreign affairs) and focus instead on the issue of climate financing, but speculation continued to emerge over who will land the presidency position for which Blair was an early front runner.

The position becomes open once the Lisbon Treaty finally comes into force, and with Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso able to announce that the “last political hurdle” to its blocking almost being jumped, talk again turned to the post-Lisbon jobs.

But even before the start of the summit there were ominous signs for the former UK Prime Minister. Gordon Brown was said to have received a cool response from European socialists when he met them on Thursday at a meeting in which he sounded out Blair's name for the post.

Speaking at the beginning of the summit, European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek, refused even to use the title 'President', preferring instead 'Chairman'; an indication that whoever does take the job should be less someone who “stops the traffic” as UK Foreign Secretary David Milliband put it, and more a more low-key administrator; another indication that Blair does not fit the bill.

For his part, Buzek was playing up the Parliament in the negotiations, suggesting that it's new powers under Lisbon would be used in negotiations with the Council over choice of roles. The European centre-right have been known to be active in canvassing through parliamentary channels.

Buzek would not be drawn on any names, but hinted that the candidates already being touted “were not the only ones” in the running.