According to Welt am Sonntag from yesterday a package deal (s. my blog and more from Jon’s blog about the Miliband aspect) has been reached for the EU top posts. Jean-Claude Juncker will become president of the European Council while the job as EU foreign minister is given to David Miliband, current UK foreign minister.
Now the eternal front-runner Juncker will finally get what he was going to get right from the start. What remains to be seen is, however, when he will take up his job. Will it alreay be in January or will it be postponed until after the EP elections and in parallel to the start of the new Commission in November 2009?
A number of influential MEPs have already suggested that just one member state might delay the formal ratification (e.g. the German president by postponing his signature) so that the new setting will only be effective for the second half of 2009.