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Added: Thursday, 12 November, 2009, 12:34 GMT 12:34 UK

This position is a total irrelevance that will do nothing whatsoever apart from massage someones already huge ego and provide them with additional vast amounts of wealth.

Moomin Papa, Crawley, United Kingdom

Added: Thursday, 12 November, 2009, 12:27 GMT 12:27 UK

The appointments will be made by the leaders of the 27 member states, by a qualified majority vote.

I and millions of others want our voices heard ,give us our rights .

I want my vote.

[Totalyunacceptable], Oelde, Germany

Added: Thursday, 12 November, 2009, 12:25 GMT 12:25 UK

Where is my vote.

[Totalyunacceptable], Oelde, Germany

Added: Thursday, 12 November, 2009, 12:14 GMT 12:14 UK

How can we possibly know how important it is, it hasn't been defined yet.

Malcolm Orton

Added: Thursday, 12 November, 2009, 12:02 GMT 12:02 UK

I doubt anyone commenting here has any idea... so we'll get the usual political rants and very few comments with anything worthwhile to say.

I'd imagine it'd be a mostly ceremonial / chairman position, but i can't really say for sure. I suspect not many people care enough about it to really find out either

no no, tokyo

Of course you don't care. If you live in Tokyo you aren't paying for this whole charade!

[chiptheduck], England, a suburb of Brussels

Added: Thursday, 12 November, 2009, 12:02 GMT 12:02 UK

"The role of President of the EU is important enough to warrant a nice big house, private jet, chauffeurs and limousines and a whole load of office staff."

AND a very generous expense account made up from their very own RULES - which of course he / she will keep within and if ever challenged he / she can say "it was within the rules".

John Weetman, Macclesfield, United Kingdom

Added: Thursday, 12 November, 2009, 11:49 GMT 11:49 UK

Not that you folks care much about the opinions of those from where I come from, but for once I'm happy to see by the comments here that you all haven't come completely unhinged and that you still have a grasp of what a representative government is. The role of the EU president is to find new ways to separate your country from its money and sovereignty.

Mike H, D.C., United States

Added: Thursday, 12 November, 2009, 11:18 GMT 11:18 UK

Wasn't WW2 all about making sure we retained individual countries soverignties and identities. The Common market was set up to allow easier trade between European countries not to take over and subsiquently eliminate individual countries and soverignties. We may have well let Hitler take over at the outset of WW2 and avoided all the death and mutilation as what is not becoming apparent the EU committee lead government wants to take over the world but's doing it without war

Mark Egginton, Leamington Spa, United Kingdom

Added: Thursday, 12 November, 2009, 11:11 GMT 11:11 UK

They haven't worked out the roles yet and we won't get to vote on them, yet they will cost us money and will certainly have some power over us. So we send our soldiers to fight for democracy in a distant land whilst at home we move away from it. The role implies a federal Europe and represents a path to that end. Mindyou that might be a good thing as we might be better off as more European than British these days.

Simon, Solihull

Added: Thursday, 12 November, 2009, 11:10 GMT 11:10 UK

The position of EU president is just one more step towards a fereal state of Europe. The president will be 'appointed' and will head a house of MEP's that in all honesty has little or no power as the other non elected house of European appointed ministers hold the power of decisions.
On paper I would strongly suggest that this role is nothing but a job for the lads and another expense that will draw cash from our pockets.

Mark Egginton, Leamington Spa, United Kingdom

Added: Thursday, 12 November, 2009, 11:10 GMT 11:10 UK

The EU has had a president since 1958 when it was Victor Larock from Belgium. This is just a change to the way the president is selected and the term that they are in office for. Before it was rotated between EU member states every six month which is seen as too short to achieve anything.

SteveE, Wallingford

Added: Thursday, 12 November, 2009, 10:54 GMT 10:54 UK

How important is the role of EU president?

Zilch, zero, nil, and any other word phrase or saying that means totally worthless and of no use to anyone.

Britain's Ruined, Wokingham

Added: Thursday, 12 November, 2009, 10:51 GMT 10:51 UK

The President will assume a cohesive mandate to represent the concerns of EU citizens and to convey a foreign policy that is in accordance to E.U. legislative parliamentary process. A common policy is to facilitate the exchange of goods and services within the E.U and abroad.

Eurp Valentin, Milano

Added: Thursday, 12 November, 2009, 10:46 GMT 10:46 UK

The whole EU and Commission reeks of a grand scale "old boys" club of the highest order.

No democracy, no audit, no accountabilty, constant assured billions of revenue. This is as good as it will ever get.

The ultimate dictatorship, they will certainly never go without and we are paying for it to happen!!!???

lewis, wales

Added: Thursday, 12 November, 2009, 10:43 GMT 10:43 UK

What should an EU president and a foreign policy chief do?

I expect what they won't do is take any notice of what we think.

[frost-fire]