FRANCE: France has indicated that it will not support any Irish candidate to succeed Mr Romano Prodi as president of the European Commission, writes Denis Staunton in Brussels.
Sources close to the French President, Mr Jacques Chirac, have rejected the prospect of an Irish Commission President, identifying as troublesome Ireland's absence from the Schengen border-free zone and the State's policy of military neutrality.
The remarks appear to contradict a commitment Mr Chirac made to the Taoiseach last week that France would back Mr Ahern if he became a candidate for the post. French opposition could doom the prospects of the former attorney general and EU commissioner, Mr Peter Sutherland and the President of the European Parliament, Mr Pat Cox.
The Taoiseach hopes to secure unanimous agreement on a successor to Mr Prodi in advance of a possible meeting of EU leaders next Tuesday. Mr Ahern has said he will not call such a meeting until all 25 leaders are united around a single candidate.
The hardening of France's position means that all candidates currently under discussion face opposition from at least one large member-state.
Most EU governments now accept that Mr Prodi's successor should be drawn from the centre-right and government sources in Paris said yesterday that the successful candidate would have to be "compatible" with the European People's Party (EPP) the largest group in the European Parliament.
French sources said yesterday that Austria's Chancellor, Mr Wolfgang Schuessel, would be unacceptable to a number of countries because of his decision in 2000 to share power with Dr Jörg Haider's far-right Freedom Party. Spain has ruled out supporting Portugal's Prime Minister, Mr Jose Manuel Durao Barroso, on account of his backing for the US-led war in Iraq and France and Germany have indicated that they will side with Madrid in the dispute, apparently in gratitude for the new Spanish government's flexible approach to negotiations on the constitutional treaty.
Apart from Mr Schuessel and Mr Barroso, Mr Sutherland is the only EPP candidate who is under serious discussion, although Austria has suggested that the Agriculture Commissioner, Dr Franz Fischler, could become a candidate and some leaders still hope that Luxembourg's Mr Jean-Claude Juncker will agree to take the job.
Mr Sutherland was in Paris yesterday, where he met Mr Chirac at the Elysee Palace. French government sources said that, leaving aside his nationality, Mr Sutherland's advocacy of liberal economic policies "is not an asset". Irish MEP, Mr Proinsias De Rossa, told The Irish Times yesterday that Mr Sutherland's nomination could face opposition from the Socialist group in the European Parliament, partly on account of his current position as chairman of BP.