The President of the European Commission should be elected by the people of the EU member states, the Fine Gael TD, Mr John Bruton, said at the launch of a report on the EU's future yesterday.
He outlined a scenario where the choice of the EU's chief executive would be discussed simultaneously in a café in Palermo and a pub in Bangor Erris, as citizens considered the comparative merits of, say, Mr Pedro Solbes, Mr Chris Patten and Mr Pat Cox.
Mr Bruton wrote the 90-page "Report on the Future of the European Union" on behalf of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on European Affairs.
He said it was the first of its kind anywhere in Europe because no other government or "think-tank", to his knowledge, had yet produced a document dealing with the agenda set at the European summit in Laeken, Belgium, last month.
Asked about the relationship between the European Affairs Committee and the Forum on Europe, Mr Bruton said committee chairman Mr Bernard Durkan had met his opposite number on the forum, Sen Maurice Hayes. The committee had agreed to make a presentation to the forum and, "we would be happy that the forum would make a presentation to us".
On the aftermath of the Nice referendum, the report notes the possibility of "a parallel union" which did not include Ireland, if the electorate rejected the treaty a second time. "Such a scenario, either in reality or in contemplation, would pose huge economic and political difficulties for this country.
The launch of the report was attended by the diplomatic corps. Mr Pat Carey (FF), of the European Affairs Committee, described it as challenging. The full report will be available t at www.irlgov.ie/oireachtas