06 November 2009: Daily Mail
The decision over whether David Miliband will be appointed the EU's first 'foreign minister' is set to be made as early as this Monday.
Informal discussions will be held among EU leaders about 'top jobs' in Berlin amid celebrations of the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall.
With Tony Blair's hopes of becoming President fadng, Mr Miliband has now emerged as the front-runner to get the job of the EU's High Representative for foreign and security policy.
There has been fevered speculation in Westminster that the Foreign Secretary is being lined up for the powerful £275,000-a-year role, although he has insisted he is 'not available'.
Every EU leader is gathering in the German capital for the first time since the Czech's ratified the controversial Lisbon Treaty, which creates the new roles of President of the EU Council and High Representative.
Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, who is in charge of drawing up a shortlist, is planning to canvass opinion during the celebrations.
Mr Reinfeldt has already made calls to EU leaders, but Berlin is his first opportunity to hold one-on-one meetings with EU leaders.
EU diplomats say that the Swedish premier is hoping to narrow the field to as few as one or two names before calling a one-day summit to finalise the appointments as early as next week.
Mr Blair's Presidential hopes have been severely dented by leaders from a grouping of the EU's smaller countries - referred to as the 'seven dwarfs'.
Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Portugal, Finland, Austria and Ireland are jointly calling for a 'chairman, not a chief' in a move aimed at ruling out Mr Blair.
Influential countries are now pushing for the President to come from the Right and the High Representative to come from the Left.
Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann has backed Mr Miliband for the job, while EU Commission president Manuel Barroso is also said to be supporting the Foreign Secretary.
Tory sources have revealed that Conservative Leader David Cameron would not object to Mr Miliband as strongly as they opposed the prospect of 'President Blair'.
EU leaders are said to have been impressed by Mr Miliband's ferociously pro-European speech to the International Institute for Strategic Studies a couple of weeks ago.
Mr Miliband's appointment would create a headache for Mr Brown, who would have to nominate him for the Commissioner job.
The Foreign Secretary would have to stand down as an MP - thereby triggering a by-election in his South Shields constituency in the run up to a General Election.
Aides of Mr Miliband yesterday furiously denied reports on the website Politics.co.uk that he had already accepted the post.
A spokesman for Mr Miliband said: 'He hasn't been offered the job and he is made it extremely clear that he is not available.'
But bookmakers Ladbrokes yesterday said that Mr Miliband was the favourite for the EU High Representative job.
Belgium Prime Minister Herman van Rompuy has emerged as now overtaken Mr Blair as the favourite for the post of President of the EU Council.
Ladbrokes spokesman Nick Weinberg said: 'Punters are transferring allegiances from Blair to Miliband.'
