Polish poll on EU presidency: Merkel before Blair, Barroso, Sarkozy

Warsaw- Some 28 per cent of Poles would back German Chancellor Angela Merkel for the European Union presidency, said a survey Friday in the daily Rzeczpospolita. Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair got some 17 per cent of support among the Polish public, according to the telephone survey conducted by GfK Polonia. The newspaper didn't indicate the size of the survey's sample.

European Commission head Jose Manuel Barroso came third, with 15 per cent of the votes, while French President Nicolas Sarkozy received 7 per cent.

Under the terms of the Lisbon Treaty, the current six-month rotational system for the presidency of the European Council would be replaced with a permanent EU president.