France awaiting 'Mr. Right' for EU top job[fr][de] 

Former UK prime minister Tony Blair would make "a good candidate" for the newly-created position of the EU Council President, as would Eurogroup head Jean-Claude Juncker and former Spanish premier Felipe Gonzales, Kouchner told a seminar organised by the European Policy Centre in Brussels. 

However he suggested the ideal candidate still needs to be found. "I didn't say one is excellent," Kouchner said adding that "others will come".

Kouchner said his country, which will take over the EU Presidency in July, aims to have the new posts – Council President, Commission President and the High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy - filled before the planned entry into force of the new EU Treaty on 1 January 2009. 

Ensuring the Treaty of Lisbon is implemented on time will be one of the priorities of the French Presidency, the minister said. 

Others will be finding agreement among the 27 member states on a common immigration pact, which could bring in more high-skilled workers to fill increasing vacancies, and promoting efforts to forge a common EU defence policy, Koucher revealed. 

"Our objective is to put in place credible civil and military defence capacities and means," he said. 

Close cooperation with the US and its new President will also be a top priority, according to Kouchner. He urged Europeans to use the "historic opportunity" to offer the new administration "an agenda, a road map, that will correspond to our priorities, our understanding of how to solve crises and find solutions together". 

France also aims to address growing fears over globalisation and increase investment in innovation, research and technology, considered to be the key to economic growth. 

Kouchner also defended the EU's farm aid policy in the light of the current global food crisis, saying the protest and famines legitimised more than ever the model on which the common agricultural policy is based. 

France opposes UK calls to speed up cuts to the bloc's farm aid policy in response to the crisis. Kouchner said the crisis heightened the need to develop food production though adequate public policies. 

"We should consider how to help poor countries put such policies in place," he said, adding that "sovereign wealth funds could play an important role in this regard".