Brussels, 13/10/2009 (Agence Europe) - MEP Chris Davies will be officially announcing, on Wednesday 14 October, that he will be running for the post of permanent president of the European Council. In a letter to the 27 heads of government, the British Liberal member underlines that, unlike some of his rivals (and compatriot), he has never deceived a parliament or been responsible for the illegal invasion of another country. Humorist and provocateur, this tongue-in-cheek bid for the presidency ironically highlights the gaps in the selection process for the next permanent president of the EU (should the Lisbon Treaty take effect), and points out that, given the influence of the person chosen on how the post should develop, each candidate should clearly and publicly set out his/her priorities. “The backroom manoeuvrings now taking place are a very poor substitute for an open selection process. We have millions of talented people in Europe, and more than half of them are women, so why is the recruitment not being cast wider?”, Chris Davies asks. (A.B./transl.jl)