26/03/2004 (Agence Europe) - After the European Council's decision to designate José Manuel Gonzalez Paramo of Spain as successor to his compatriot Domingo Solans at the ECB Executive Board (see p.12), Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt told the press that he would formally raise at the European Council of 17 and 18 June the question of appointments in the EU to posts of responsibility. "A balance is needed in the Union", Mr Verhofstadt continued, saying it is out of the question for the large countries to reserve these posts for themselves, ignoring the principle of rotation. "I have already spoken to the Irish Presidency and it has confirmed to me that this point will be on the agenda in June", he assured.