Guy Verhofstadt

...commentators have pointed out that Van Rompuy's appointment must be particularly painful for another former Belgian prime minister, Guy Verhofstadt, who also came close to becoming Commission president, but was vetoed by Tony Blair five years...

In this article: Herman Van Rompuy, EU, Belgium, Europe, Jean-Luc Dehaene, Economics, Turkey, Elio Di Rupo, and Yves Leterme

...government an impossible task. It took Leterme more than a year -and a brief reappointment of the former liberal prime minister Guy Verhofstadt - to form a government. Yet once in office, Leterme made himself rather unpopular on the French side...

In this article: Herman Van Rompuy, Belgium, Yves Leterme, European Union, and Flanders

...too," said an East European diplomat. The last Franco-German attempt to impose a candidate for a top EU job failed in 2004 when Guy Verhofstadt, the then Belgium prime minister, was vetoed by Britain for the post of European Commission...

In this article: EU, Herman Van Rompuy, Tony Blair, Germany, Angela Merkel, Brussels, Britain, France, Europe, and Berlin

...the ideal of a United States of Europe -- a vision now confined to a handful of federalists like former Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt. His successors, Gerhard Schroeder and Angela Merkel, have been less enthusiastic about the EU,...

In this article: Helmut Kohl, European Union, Europe, Margaret Thatcher, Francois Mitterrand, Germany, Lisbon, Nationalism, and Bonn

...it depends on someone who will help it operate better,'' Mr Van Rompuy said. Five years ago Mr Blair vetoed the appointment of Guy Verhofstadt, Mr Van Rompuy's prime ministerial predecessor, as commission president. Asked about Mr...

In this article: Tony Blair, European Union, Economics, Europe, Brussels, London, and Beijing

...prime minister. Britain has a habit of vetoing Belgian premiers on the grounds that they tend to be federalists. London blocked Guy Verhofstadt in 2004 and Jean-Luc Dehaene in 1994. Mr Blair's receding chances appeared to coincide with Mr...

In this article: David Miliband, European Union, Tony Blair, Harriet Harman, Europe, Labour Party, Nicolas Sarkozy, Brussels, and Sunday Times

...as the former PM's "traffic stopping" qualities: Jan Peter Balkenende of the Netherlands, Herman Van Rompuy of Belgium, another Belgian, Guy Verhofstadt, Jean-Claude Juncker of Luxembourg and Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the Danish secretary general...

In this article: Tony Blair, David Miliband, European Union, Nicholas Sarkozy, The Sunday Telegraph, Brussels, Angela Merkel, and Labour

...of its new and largely ridiculous alliance with the European Liberal Party, its MEPs not knowing how to behave or vote, infuriating Guy Verhofstadt by abstaining on press freedom in Italy, a decision that came from Dublin. There should be...

In this article: Brian Cowen, Tony Blair, Taoiseach, Fianna Fail, Garret FitzGerald, Sean Lemass, European Union, and Bertie Ahern

...challenged Blair and other candidates could include former Finnish Prime Minister Paavo Lipponen, former Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt and Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende. Brown said Blair would be an excellent candidate,...

In this article: Tony Blair, European Union, Gordon Brown, George W. Bush, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, Labour Party, Britain, and Conservative Party

...the former prime minister said. Blair, however, is reluctant to campaign openly because he fears experiencing the same fate as Guy Verhofstadt, the former prime minister of Belgium, who was humiliated when Blair vetoed him for the post of...

In this article: Tony Blair, EU, Europe, Gordon Brown, David Miliband, and Lisbon