I’m afraid Rasmussen did give a name in the end, and even more than one. You should read the interview he gave to the German Edition of the FT on the 8th of May:
http://www.ftd.de/politik/europa/:Zweite-Amtszeit-EU-Sozialisten-wollen-Barroso-los-werden/510652.html

Best wishes,
Brian

That was an informed discussion on various general aspects surrounding the nominations, including the weakening of the Commission.

Since Delors (who, of course, wasn’t), there’s been an unwritten rule that the Commission president is a current or former member of the European Council. If that “rule” is to be abandoned and the criterion applied to the president of the European Council instead, it does suggest that the Commission president is likely to become even more of a gofer for the European Council than Barroso has been. There are decent candidates from outwith those exalted ranks, from several political parties, but how many would take the job in the expectation that the European Council would attempt to squash any signs of initiative? It would take an exceptional character to go against the grain (and they would need a similarly strong team of Commissioners, or at least a core of them). Lamy may be such a character, but would Sarkozy go for him? Is Diamantopoulou?

I don’t know as much about her as I do Lamy, but I don’t remember her making waves in her time in the Prodi Commission, and she left early to go back to Greece. On the question of whether the Greek government would support her, they could follow the Portuguese example of supporting one of their nationals, although from a different party, if there’s a real likelihood she could get such a prestigious post, but perhaps there’s too much rancour between the parties for that?

Remember that the job is part of a package of jobs, if and when Lisbon is ratified – European Council Presidency, future Solana, and France wants to hold onto the de Boissieu post in the Council General Secretariat too. The question is how much say can the EP get on those other posts, where it doesn’t have the treaty powers it has for the Commission President? Is there not a likelihood that the Commission president post is “downgraded” by the European Council, simply because the EP has a bigger say in it? In other words, power shifts, de facto, further towards the (European) Council.

Thank you for adding some new angles to the discussion.

The whole point is to have a candidate before the elections, to give EU citizens a choice.

Failing to nominate a top candidate is a recipe for election defeat.

After defeat, there is no need to unveil Mr of Ms X.

Simple, but depressing, especially as I have heard no exclamations of joy from EPP grass roots concerning the nomination of Barroso.

Why should he tell anyone? It’s not like its a democracy, where the people get to have a say in the matter.

(sorry to be trollish)

From a tactical perspective, the PES has crossed the point where they can nominate anyone and get an advantage (a leap) from it, because all national campaigns are under way and the candidate would not win enough profile quick enough to compete against Barroso (in public opinion terms) and to gain significant votes from this nomination.