A clear majority of citizens in nearly all the large European Union states believe the EU must choose a high-profile figure as its first president rather than one of the less well-known politicians being touted for the job, according to a poll for the Financial Times.

In recent weeks, speculation across Europe over who might be appointed to the post has focused on politicians such as Jean-Claude Juncker, the prime minister of Luxembourg, and Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the Danish premier.