Patten 'frustrated' by EU job

Hong Kong's last governor has reportedly had enough of Brussels

The European Commissioner for External Affairs, Chris Patten, says he intends to stand down after just one term in office amid reports he is bored and frustrated by his prestigious and highly paid job in Brussels.

Mr Patten, a former British cabinet minister and the last colonial governor of Hong Kong, has written a frank internal discussion document stressing the importance of the European Commision developing an integrated external policy.

European press reports suggested that the paper was prompted by a turf battle between Mr Patten and the former Nato chief, Javier Solana, who was made head of the EU's foreign and security policy last year - a new post overlapping with Mr Patten's responsibilities.

Mr Patten's document reportedly says that because of the division of labour in European foreign policy, the policy "still lacks beef".

'Patten lost'

Spokesman for both men have denied there is any rivalry between them, but London's Daily Telegraph reported on Friday that by disclosing his plans to leave, Mr Patten was effectively acknowledging he had lost the battle for influence.

Solana is said to have won the battle for influence

The Telegraph also quoted Mr Patten as saying he had found a recent commission meeting so boring, he had stopped paying attention and begun calculating how many hours he could still expect to live.

Mr Patten shrugged off the report, saying that his remarks had been taken out of context and demonstrated "the perils of having a sense of humour" in public life.

He insisted that his job was one of the most "interesting" he could do, but said he would only serve one five-year term.

Recovering the initiative

Mr Patten's spokesman, Gunnar Wiegand, said that Mr Patten would expand on his paper next week in speeches to major French and British foreign affairs research institutes.

The United States is prone to unilateralism - and that tendency will be reinforced if Europe is not seen to do more for itself

Patten report

The paper has not been officially released, but reports suggest that it is a wide-ranging document arguing that commissioners must seize back from EU governments ground they have lost over the past year in making European foreign policy.

Mr Solana, who is currently co-ordinating a 60,000-strong EU military force, reports to EU governments, while Mr Patten reports to the European Commission President, Romano Prodi.

Mr Patten also argues that the EU must be seen "to do more for itself" on the world stage in order to check a tendency by the United States to act unilaterally.

Patten: The perils of a sense of humour

"The United States is not isolationist," Mr Patten wrote, "but it is prone to unilateralism - and that tendency will be reinforced if Europe is not seen to do more for itself".

Mr Patten also reportedly expressed frustration that European governments made grand promises, but often failed to deliver the funds or support to carry them out.

Chris Patten's main achievement since his appointment last September has been to secure support for overhauling the EU's huge foreign aid budget and curb waste and abuse.