At the EU Summit (16-17 October) the Council discussed the role and status of the future EU Minister of Foreign Affairs and the composition of the Commission. The meeting judged “very positive” by the Presidency also served to prepare the plenary assembly of the IGC at the level of heads of state and of government. In particular, broad consensus was reached on the role of the EU Foreign Minister, with the formal exception of the United Kingdom, which opposes the name “Minister”. No compromise, on the other hand, has yet been reached to the national positions on the composition of the Commission after 2009; Germany followed immediately by Italy, France and the UK has even given advance notice of its request to maintain two Commissioners if all the “small” member states should succeed in obtaining one of them.
