Due to technical problems, the morning brief comes late today. Apologies.
Memorial wins the European Parliaments Human Rights Prize. Official Announcement here, EU Observer story here, BBC report here.
Parliament resolution about new diplomatic service. Parliament wants the European External Action Service (EEAS) to be subject to parliamentary control. 424 MEPs voted in favour of linking the new service to the Commission in budgetary and administrative matters, with only 94 voting against. The Parliament’s rapporteur Elmar Brok (EPP) says this is the only way to ensure parliamentary oversight over the EAS (source). European Voice has some background
Another blow for Blair’s hope to become Council President. Poland has said it wants the new EU president to be a quiet consensus-builder who will not try to aggrandise the post, the EU Observer reports. In the Figaro, Pierre Rousselin says Blair is “too brilliant” for the job.
Olli Rehn about the future of European foreign policy. In a speech in Brussels, the enlargement commissioner, whos term ends this month, talked about what Lisbon means for the EU’s foreign policy. Rehn is seen as a candidate for the job of the High Commissioner for foreign policy (”European foreign minister”).
The Economist examines the perspective of French-German leadership for Europe. Paris wants to build a kind of common directoire, in order to make make Europe “one of the principal players of the 21st century”. But it seems that Berlin is not ready for Sarkozys big plans.
Read today on Global Europe: Norica Nicolai, Member of the European Parliament for the liberals (ALDE), on the new diplomatic service: Europe’s voice in the world.