The struggle for succession intensified yesterday as the German EU Presidency expressed its determination to cut short the life-span of the caretaker European Commission. Within the Commission a spokesman of one leading candidate to succeed the president, Mr Jacques Santer, spoke of the need for a purge of senior officials to follow the resignation of all 20 commissioners on Tuesday.
It is still not clear whether member-states will want the transition Commission - which under the Rome Treaty can serve only until January - to be headed by an interim figure like one of the untarnished present commissioners, or to install a candidate who would lead the Commission beyond 2000 for five more years. The internal favourites for a short-term appointment to the end of the year are the British Trade Commissioner, Sir Leon Brittan, and the Belgian Competition Commissioner, Mr Karl van Miert. The latter, who has made a strong impression in dealing with a difficult dossier, was asked by journalists if he was now the "Commission strong man". Mr Van Miert laughed and declined to comment.
Sir Leon, on the other hand, is letting it be known that he views the crisis as an opportunity for root and branch reform. One source close to Sir Leon even suggested he had the Secretary General of the Commission, Mr Carlo Trojan, in his sights, a prospect that would not please the Irish Government.
The two longer-term candidates being touted are the former Italian prime minister, Mr Romano Prodi, and the NATO Secretary General, Mr Javier Solana. Soundings among ambassadors are understood to have strongly favoured the latter but his availability is a problem because of the Kosovo crisis. In any case, prime ministers and not ambassadors will make the appointment.
The Commission itself met to clarify its statement - any impression its members wanted to stay on had to be disabused. "We have resigned and have no desire or intention of remaining in office a moment longer than we have to," the statement said.
"We accordingly urge the member-states to appoint, according to the procedures of the treaty, a new Commission without delay."
The German Chancellor and President of the European Council, Mr Gerhard Schroder, said he wanted to move swiftly to replace them but that it was unclear whether the 15 EU heads of state and government would reach agreement at next week's summit, where Agenda 2000 discussions will take centre stage. "It would be good if we could present a joint proposal on personalities very quickly after Berlin," he said. "I don't want to talk about days or weeks. We ought to come to a decision quickly." But that difficulty in reaching agreement at Berlin may also incline member-states towards a temporary arrangement that would tide them over until the end of the year, diplomatic sources suggested.
The Commission met again yesterday for its routine weekly meeting but made clear in a statement that, in its caretaker role, it will restrict itself to open dossiers and not be taking any new policy initiatives.
"We have, nonetheless, decided to exercise our powers in a restrictive manner, i.e. to deal with current and urgent business, and to comply with our institutional and legal obligations, but not to take fresh political initiatives," the statement said.
The Commission did, however, complete work on a new independent fraud unit with a broad remit to investigate the activities in all the EU institutions. Although based in the Commission, its work will be overseen by an independent supervisory board of external experts appointed by agreement with the Parliament and the Council of Ministers. Meanwhile, the Fianna Fail MEP, Mr Niall Andrews, has called on the member-states to appoint a president now for a full 5 1/2 years. To appoint someone until January would weaken the authority of the Commission, he said.
Mr John Cushnahan (FG, Munster) said Ireland had "an ideal opportunity to lead the EU out of its current crisis, if the Taoiseach were to put forward the names of Peter Sutherland or Ray MacSharry as president of the Commission". Both men, he said, command respect on the international stage and have demonstrated strong leadership qualities.