Blair speech kindles speculation over EU presidency

By Nick Antonovics

PARIS (Reuters) - Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair kindled speculation he was running to be the first president of the European Union by praising the bloc in a speech in Paris as France prepares to oversee the appointment process.

At the invitation of French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Blair told a conference of France's centre-right ruling UMP party on Saturday that EU countries could achieve more in key policy areas by acting together rather than as individual nation states.

"Europe is not a question of left or right, but a question of the future or the past, of strength or weakness," said Blair, speaking in French.

"Terrorism, security, immigration, organized crime, energy, the environment, science, biotechnology and higher education. In all these areas, and others, we are much stronger and able to deliver what our citizens expect from us as individual nations if we are part of a strong and united Europe," Blair said.

The post of president of the European Council -- which meets at head of state and government level usually four times a year -- is due to be created by the 27-nation grouping in the second half of 2008, when France will chair EU ministerial meetings.

Sarkozy already said in October that Blair or Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker were obvious candidates. A UMP party grandee, Jean-Pierre Rafarin, wrote in Saturday's Le Monde newspaper that Blair's experience in Europe positioned him well for the European institutions of the future.

Speaking to the UMP conference immediately after Blair, Sarkozy described him as "one of Europe's greats" and praised his role in persuading Britain to sign up to the bloc's new reform treaty.

But he stopped short of offering Blair public backing for the post, which will not be created until the treaty has been ratified by all EU countries.

"When we appoint this president of the European Union, I want us to set the bar high and not aim for the lowest common denominator," Sarkozy said.

Sarkozy said he hoped he would be the last person to hold the bloc's existing six-month rotating presidency before the new president, with a two-and-a-half-year term in office, took over.

Sarkozy said he wanted a political Europe with common energy, immigration and environment policies, but in comments that could create tensions with Blair's successor in Downing Street, Gordon Brown, also pleaded for common agricultural and defense policies.

"Europe can't be an area of 450 million people and one of the richest in the world and rely for its protection on either chance or the United States," Sarkozy said.

"I am a friend of the United States but I insist that Europe give itself autonomous means to defend itself because if one is not capable of this, one is not capable of assuming one's independence," Sarkozy added.

In his speech, Blair praised Sarkozy's leadership and joked that he could quite easily fit in with his government.

In another comment that drew laughter from delegates, Blair cited Sarkozy's "energy, in all areas" -- a reference to the recently-divorced French leader's love affair with a former top model and singer.

(Editing by Caroline Drees)