International

Beginning on 19th September, Euro-MPs will be getting the measure of the European Commission team proposed by newly-appointed Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker. I doubt that there’s much chance that all candidate-Commissioners will make it over the finishing line; there are too many unsavoury stories about at least two of them. We’ll be reading a great deal about these in the next few days and weeks. But whatever else happens, the Juncker team, possibly with a few substitutes for the rejected nominees, will prove to be just as voracious as its predecessors. A different Europe requires more than the changing of the guard at the Commission.

Jean Claude Juncker - Photo European Parliament cc-by-nc-nd

The Hungarian and Spanish candidate-Commissioners are going to find it difficult. Tibor Navracsics is currently Hungary’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and a close friend of controversial Prime Minister Viktor Orban and shares the blame for the limiting of human rights in Hungary, which has led many social organisations there to fear for their continued existence, the police having developed the habit of randomly raiding the offices and homes of activists. The media too have seen their freedoms curtailed. Hardly a suitable person to take charge of culture and education.

The Spanish candidate Miguel Arias Cañete is coming under even more fire, if that’s possible. His responsibilities will cover climate and energy, but has only just unloaded his shares in the oil industry and can’t exactly be seen as a champion of sound climate policy. A clear example of a conflict of interest, even before he can get down to work in Brussels.

Even if these or perhaps other candidates are replaced, the Juncker team will be in favour of ‘more Brussels’. Recently you can read nothing but the supposed need for a powerful European energy policy. The same goes for foreign and defence policy. Although the Dutch candidate, current Foreign Minister Frans Timmermans is, you will note, charged with reducing the regulatory burden, the knives are being sharpened with a view to further transfers of powers. If this is to be done the existing EU Treaty, the Lisbon Treaty, will have to be amended, but when it comes to more power for Brussels, that’s never a problem. Of course we will be keeping a close eye on this in both Brussels and The Hague, but if the Treaty is indeed up for discussion, this would be a perfect time to put forward our own ideas for ‘less Brussels’. A treaty amendment of that nature would be much more significant than a new team of European Commissioners. That’s why it’s more interesting to hear what’s said by the candidates during the hearings, than whether one or more candidates suffer rejection.