The European Union will select a president and foreign policy chief from among some 20 candidates at a special summit later this week, a EU official said on Tuesday.
An official in the Council of the European Union said the candidatures of some two dozen politicians are being discussed.
The EU's 27 leaders are to select the two top officials at a dinner in Brussels on Thursday. The summit will take place after the long-delayed ratification of the Lisbon treaty, which is due to come into force on December 1.
However, there is still no consensus on who should be the EU's first president and foreign policy chief.
Former British prime minister Tony Blair, once a favorite for the presidency, now has strong rivals among politicians from the Scandinavian and East European countries. Former Italian premier Massimo D'Alema is currently seen as the most likely future foreign policy supremo.
BRUSSELS, November 17 (RIA Novosti)
