New treaty for EU, but same jostling for power
08 January 2010
Tomas Valasek, director of foreign policy and defence at the Centre for European Reform, said: "Spain wants to hold on to as many of the trappings of the old rotating presidency as it can. No-one wants to lose cachet." ...The consequence, Mr. Valasek said, is that "it leaves Van Rompuy in a situation where the Spanish would rather that he didn't exist."
Link to press quote:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/08/world/europe/08iht-union.html