Blair dismisses Euro-president call

German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer with Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder

Downing Street has moved swiftly to dismiss a call from Germany's foreign minister, Joschka Fischer, for the European Commission to have its own directly elected president.

The timing of Mr Fischer's call, just a day after Prime Minister Tony Blair and Foreign Secretary Robin Cook rejected suggestions that the EU was heading to become a superstate, has caused embarrassment for Number 10.

A Downing Street spokesman said of Mr Fischer's call: "That is not the government's view."

The spokesman also echoed Mr Cook's latest criticism of the way journalists cover EU stories, saying that "this should not be written up as a Britain-German clash".

European Commission President Romani Prodi: Not elected

Mr Fischer renewed his previous support for voters to choose the president during a speech to the Belgian parliament.

He said the head of the 20-member European Commission - currently appointed by EU governments - should be elected, giving him or her real legitimacy to represent all of Europe.

The minister, a Green member of Germany's coalition government, has in the past consistently called for greater political integration in Europe.

This latest instance comes three weeks before December's EU summit in Nice to agree moves towards enlargement of the union.

Mr Blair's spokesman pointed out that no proposal to have a directly-elected president had been tabled for discussion by EU leaders.

"We want to bring Europe closer to the people. We see an important role for the commission, but that means a Europe of nation states where the European Council has primacy," added the spokesman.

The European Council is made up of ministers or heads of government of the member states.

Maude: 'In denial'

Shadow foreign secretary Francis Maude seized on Mr Fischer's remarks as revealing that "the agenda to build an EU superstate is alive and well".

"At least the EU politicians have the courage of their convictions," he said.

"Privately, Robin Cook and Tony Blair are happy to take us into an EU superstate but they know that such a movement would be against all the instincts of the British people, so they want to do so by stealth.

"While the EU's leaders talk of building an EU superstate, Tony Blair's motto is 'Don't worry, nothing's happening, be happy' ... By spinning and bluster, Labour tries to invent reality rather than deal with it. The government is in deep denial."

Minister for Europe Keith Vaz played down Mr Fischer's comments. "We all know Joschka Fischer's views on this," he said.

"What was interesting last time he said this kind of thing was how few people in Europe agreed with him and how many agree with us that Europe's future is as a union of democratic nations not a superstate.

Mr Vaz pointed out that only last week current European Commission President Romano Prodi had said he did not back a superstate either.