EU members seek balance in president post

BRUSSELS, Nov. 3 (UPI) -- The new European Council presidential post shouldn't be allowed to elbow out the powers of the EU's rotating country presidencies, leaders say.

The prime ministers of Spain, Belgium and Hungary -- the next three countries in line to assume the rotating six-month EU presidency -- said last week that new presidential position created by the nearly-ratified Lisbon Treaty should not be allowed to usurp their authority to run the EU's day-to-day operations, the EUobserver reported Tuesday.

Meeting in Brussels to present a common front for 18 months of cooperation beginning in January, the three prime ministers called for a balance of power under the new Lisbon Treaty structure.

"The future of Europe does not depend on one person ... the future of Europe depends on institutions," Belgian leader Herman Van Rompuy said, while Hungarian counterpart Gordon Bajnai asserted that "more time" is needed to "decide the role of the president and his relation to the rotating president."

Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said that when his country assumes the EU presidency starting Jan. 1, he will seek to lay down the foundations for how the system will work in the future, the EUobserver said.