Brussels, 19/05/2004 (Agence Europe) - Interview on Irish radio, the outgoing president of the European Parliament Pat Cox acknowledged on Tuesday that his name was on the list of possible successors to Romano Prodi to Head the European Commission. "As I understated it, in terms of various names being speculated upon - and there's quite a large list of names - my own name is there but, as you well know, it's not the only one". (EUROPE 6 May p 9 on the subject announced by Pat Cox in his last speech to the European Parliament on his intention to not put himself forward in the next European elections).
In an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine on Wednesday, Cox's reply as to whether he aspired to the post of European Commission president or that of an European Commissioner was that he was not a candidate for such posts. Mr Cox said that qualities necessary for the president of the European Commission were having confidence in Heads of State and governments. He also said that the president of the European Commission had to concentrate on the key task of taking maximum actions at a European level for economic recovery, the fight against crime or on foreign policy.