Brussels, 23/06/2004 (Agence Europe) - While Bertie Ahern continued his telephone consultations with EU colleagues, Peter Sutherland has been cited as a possible compromise candidate for the presidency of the European Commission, on a number of occasions.
Peter Sutherland, who was the youngest minister of justice in Ireland, was European Commissioner for competition 1985-89 (in the Delors Commission). He became Director General of GATT in 1993 and accompanied its transformation in 1995 into the World Trade Organisations (WTO), for which he was its first director. He is currently president of the Goldman Sachs International merchant bank and the oil company BP. Sutherland is a European through and through, as demonstrated by his actions over he last six years as president of the Advisory Council of the think tank The European Policy Centre (The EPC) founded in Brussels by Stanley Crossick and whose honorary president is Max Kohnstamm, the first Secretary General of the ECSC and one of the closest collaborators of Jean Monnet.
Peter Sutherland acknowledged that his name had been circulated "amongst others" but explained, "Nobody would consider accepting the job as Commission president which is one of the most difficult jobs in the world without a wholehearted and consensual decision by the European Council. We do not see to be in such a position, but, without it, anybody like me would e very unwise to speculate about what he might do in the future. I will not do so".
Last April during the annual meeting of the Advisory Council of the EPC, Peter Sutherland welcomed the progress made on the European Constitution, while noting that it was necessary to check whether it would enter into force sooner rather than later. In connection with referendums on the constitution, he noted that his little country was well versed in this kind of exercise but recognised that, nevertheless, they had a problem with public opinion. Mentioning the international situation, Sutherland also stated that they needed a sense of leadership from here in Brussels.