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27. 07. 09. - 15:00

Plassnik in running for EU High Representative post

By David Rogers

People’s Party (ÖVP) Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger today (Mon) backed his predecessor Ursula Plassnik to take over from Javier Solana as the EU’s High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy and Secretary-General of the Council of the European Union.

Solana has said he will step down in October this year and when asked about a replacement Spindelegger said: "Naturally, we have great interest in that post. Plassnik would make a very-good candidate on the basis of her experience."

Speaking during an EU foreign ministers’ meeting in Brussels, he warned though that the naming of Solana’s replacement would have wait until after ratification of the EU’s Lisbon Treaty which will decide a number of personnel and structural issues.

The other candidates reportedly include Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bild, Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini, Finnish EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn and Dutch former NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer.

Plassnik stepped down as foreign minister late last year after disagreements with her party’s leadership. She remains an MP in the Austrian parliament.

Austrian Times

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