European Union leaders celebrated the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall recently, paying moving tributes to the men and women who helped reunite Germany and end the tragic east-west division of Europe.

But even as they remembered yesterday’s heroes, the 27 EU leaders spent hours huddled over a very modern-day issue that will determine whether the EU survives as a dynamic global player in a rapidly changing world or whether, as European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso warned some weeks ago, it becomes irrelevant in a world dominated by the US and China.

The question revolves of course around the nomination of the first-ever EU president and foreign minister, posts created by the bloc’s new Lisbon Treaty which is expected to come into force in the coming weeks.

It seemed for several days that, after rejecting the candidacy of former British premier Tony Blair because of his support for the US-led Iraq war, the 27 leaders were reaching consensus on appointing Belgian Premier Herman Van Rompuy as the EU president and Britain’s much-admired ‘rising star’ Foreign Secretary David Miliband as the foreign minister.

Most correspondents in Brussels, including yours truly thought this was a splendid idea. True, Van Rompuy does not have much of a domestic or European profile, but he is known to be an unassuming, even ‘nice’ man who — rumour has it — rides a bike to work.

Since most EU leaders — including the president of the European Commission and leading members of the European Parliament — have a penchant for motorcades and VIP protocol, I thought it would do everyone good to have a modest politician from unassuming Belgium as EU president.

This is especially the case since the president — despite the title — is expected to be little more than a ‘chairman’ or even ‘secretary general’ who will make sure that the increasingly frequent EU summits run smoothly, that EU leaders don’t quarrel too much in public and who — if allowed — will represent the EU at foreign meetings, alongside national European presidents and prime ministers.

And Miliband? Since it is widely acknowledged in EU insider circles that the British foreign secretary is intelligent, articulate and charming, most journalists were looking forward to having a good quote, backed up by intelligent policies hammered out by a man who seems to be living in the real, 21st century world where Europe must work harder to ensure it still matters.

That ‘dream team’, however, appears to have melted into the ether at least for now. Mr Miliband has ruled himself out as a candidate for the post, saying he plans to continue working for Britain, in Britain.

There is some speculation that Lord Peter Mandelson could nobly step into the breach. But let’s be frank: Mandelson did not endear himself to most of his colleagues when he was last in Brussels as EU trade commissioner. The talk now is that the job could go to former Italian prime minister Massimo d’Alema, although this is opposed by the EU’s new eastern European members because of his past links to the Communist Party.

The problem is of course that EU procedures do not provide for a democratic election. Also, because so many factors — nationality, gender, political affiliation and the need to balance small and large states as well as rich and ‘poor’ countries — have to be taken into account, simple things like merit, experience and qualification tend to be overlooked.

Interestingly, also as illustrated by Mr Miliband, savvy politicians from the EU’s leading member states like Britain and Germany appear to have decided that they would rather make it big on the national stage than try to make a go of it in an EU job in Brussels.In addition, many national leaders do not want a strong personality in the EU presidency who might overshadow them, and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso is said to be not keen to have a political star as foreign policy chief (and vice-president of the Commission) for similar reasons.

France has three potential socialist contenders — current Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, former foreign minister Hubert Vedrine and former European Affairs minister Elisabeth Guigou. But President Nicolas Sarkozy has already said publicly his nominee for the European Commission is conservative former foreign minister Michel Barnier.

Fredrik Reinfeldt, the prime minister of Sweden, which holds the current rotating presidency of the EU, has called a special summit in Brussels on Nov 19 to finalise the appointments and has warned his colleagues he wants them to back specific candidates.

'We got more names than we have jobs to offer,' Mr Reinfeldt said in despair in Berlin recently, adding that while he hoped to reach a consensus, the decision would be made 'under a qualified majority, if needed'. Under such a system, a combination of nations — two larger nations and three smaller ones, for example — would normally be needed to obstruct an appointment.

In recent days, much to the delight of feminists, former Latvian president Vaira Vike-Frieberga has emerged as a possible candidate for president. Others include the Dutch prime minister, Jan Peter Balkenende, Jean-Claude Juncker, the prime minister of Luxembourg and the former Finnish prime minister Paavo Lipponen.

Other potential candidates for the job of EU foreign minister include Olli Rehn, a Finn and the EU commissioner for enlargement, Sweden’s foreign minister, Carl Bildt, Catherine Ashton, the EU’s trade commissioner, and Mandelson.

While all this speculation is great for gossip lovers, it does distract from the need to appoint men/women who have a clear vision/strategy for meeting Europe’s future challenges.

The EU has long said it wants to be a global player — and sometimes pretends it is already one — but as the world changes and newcomers demand their place in the sun, it is Europe that is in the spotlight. Unlike the US whose new president speaks the inclusive language of interdependence, European governments have yet to come to terms with their declining global clout.

China and India among others are growing increasingly impatient about Europe’s reluctance to cede seats in international institutions such as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. Celebrating the fall of the Berlin wall is of course legitimate and necessary. But Europeans should also be worried about their global role, presence and influence 20 years from now.

The writer is Dawn’s correspondent in Brussels.