I wish to refer briefly to the question of the proposed permanent president of the European Council. In effect, what now appears to be envisaged is a chairman or co-ordinator, not the powerful "president of Europe" type of figure suggested by some in the earlier debate on this issue. I noted with interest the various proposals on the issue, varying from Deputy John Bruton's idea of a president directly elected by the citizens of Europe to the much more status quo approach of Commissioner Neil Kinnock when he addressed the Joint Committee on European Affairs some weeks ago. I appreciate Deputy Bruton's vision in this regard but, at a time when the clear consensus is that the European Union is a group of individual states working in close harmony, not a united states of Europe, the new proposals for the European Council permanent president or chairman is possibly the best way forward. I was impressed by the argument of Commissioner Kinnock that an elected president supported by a particular political grouping would have to come forward with an almost party-political agenda and one would have to question whether such a person would have the necessary political independence and neutrality that a president or chairman-type figure of the European Council would need.