To my eyes, there’s more than a little dose of mischief in Peter Mandelson’s article for the FT today. Discussing the recent EU jobs grab, he seems to suggest that the new economic and financial commissioners may have a more important role to play than either Herman Van Rompuy or Lady Ashton, the EU’s president and high representative, respectively:
“Some commentators felt that the EU’s choices for its new president and high representative for foreign affairs lacked this kind of continental ambition. Herman Van Rompuy and Lady Ashton will no doubt aim to prove them wrong.
But Europe’s dilemma is not just one of influence projection. Europe’s influence will inevitably be tied to its economic strength. Over the next decade Europe will have to meet the competitive challenge of the emerging economies, decarbonise its economies and create tens of millions of jobs.
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