Chirac and Schröder agree EU power deal

The leaders of France and Germany reached a deal yesterday on how power should be distributed in Brussels.

Jacques Chirac, the French President, said he had agreed with the Gerhard Schröder, the German Chancellor, to change the process of selecting the president of the European Commission – which proposes legislation and oversees and enforces laws.

Under their proposal, the president would be elected by the European Parliament, not appointed by EU leaders, as favoured by Britain. The move, intended to make the body more democratic, was vigorously pushed by Germany but had been resisted by France, which had concerns about giving up sovereignty to a centralised institution.

In exchange, Mr Schröder agreed to replace the current rotating, six-month presidency with the election of a president by the Council of Ministers. Mr Chirac said the plan would be sent to Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, who is drawing up a new constitution for the European Union.