Results are now out, and the next Europarliament will be blue. The battle for the next commissioners is getting started.
I would like to thank the European Voter who did not make the effort to vote on this elections. To that stupid moron, I say, you have the right to remain silent for the next five years. If we, Eurotechnocrats, that your sausage should not be larger than 2cm in diameter, there is nothing you can do about it...
On a more serious note, it was clear that the abstention was going to be high. But who to really blame for that? Surely we have not been proactive enough, but the Member States have not played well on this one.
No big reaction among officials, we are very busy nowadays deleting the spams from the Unions! Yes Unions' elections was this week... Let see if we have more than 2/3 of the voters. Otherwise we can an additional 10 days of spamming!
Showing posts with label european parliament. Show all posts
Showing posts with label european parliament. Show all posts
Is the General Interest prevailing in the European Union?
Grahn, in one of his comments, quoted Guy Verhofstadt, saying that during his years on the European Council, he never heard anyone mention the European interest.
The aspiration of every democracy is to insure that the General Interest prevails over the various vested interests. When at the country level it is not very clear if the majority can truly represent the National Interest, capturing the General Interest at the level of the European Union is even harder. Can a simple electoral rule translate the European Interest?
Obviously, in my humble position of a Eurotechnocrat, I cannot make a general judgment on the topic. The only thing I can blog about is the perception that we have inside the European Commission on how the General Interest of the Union is represented.
In our daily work, I would say that this feeling can be perceived from three parts: the general interest felt through the Commission itself, from the Europarliament and from the Member States, ie the Council.
Within the Commission, my guess is that vast majority of Officials really do put forwards the interest of the European Citizens before the interest of their fellow citizens. This is actually one of my pride in being an officials. Of course there are few of us who are excessively patriotic and even fewer who succumbs to lobbies' pressure.
Even at the highest level, I can also say that the Commissioners are generally taking their role seriously. One speaking example: the Common Agricultural Policy which has with years turned into a cash machine for farmers. What is the point of spending the vast majority of the European Budget on a tiny fraction of the population? When the EC tried to reform the subsidies, it was with great pain as producing Memeber States fought to preserve their interests. Well, we are still paying the subsidies (less and less), even if it makes the consumers and society worse off.
With respect to the Parliament and the MEP who really do their jobs (not the bozos cashing their indemnities), there is a true desire to represent the European Citizens. You can be your own judge by looking at the laws that were passed: SMS rate, limitation of toxic products, etc. From what I experienced from the MEP scrutiny, it is clear that MEPs do not act like their American counterparts and the Pork Barrel legislation.
I cannot say the same about Member States... No need to work at the EC to see how each Council becomes a bargain mess whenever a major decision needs to be taken. Where most of countries agree that majority equals general interest, at the Council level it must be consensus in most case, two third at best, . But when it comes to our relations with Member States, mostly in the various committees, it can be clearer that we are not talking from the same point of view. But what do you expect? After all committees are there to make sure that Member States don't get screwed. I personally found it hard sometimes, because some have no shame in doing so.
Like any other honest public servant, I would like as much as possible serve the General Interest. So anything that strengthen the European Citizens is good for me. But only you, the European Citizen, can decide what is the best proxy for the General Interest. If at the national level, there is a agreement, it is yet to be done seriously at the European level. European Constitution, Treaty of Lisbon or anything else.
I think the ball is in your hands.
The aspiration of every democracy is to insure that the General Interest prevails over the various vested interests. When at the country level it is not very clear if the majority can truly represent the National Interest, capturing the General Interest at the level of the European Union is even harder. Can a simple electoral rule translate the European Interest?
Obviously, in my humble position of a Eurotechnocrat, I cannot make a general judgment on the topic. The only thing I can blog about is the perception that we have inside the European Commission on how the General Interest of the Union is represented.
In our daily work, I would say that this feeling can be perceived from three parts: the general interest felt through the Commission itself, from the Europarliament and from the Member States, ie the Council.
Within the Commission, my guess is that vast majority of Officials really do put forwards the interest of the European Citizens before the interest of their fellow citizens. This is actually one of my pride in being an officials. Of course there are few of us who are excessively patriotic and even fewer who succumbs to lobbies' pressure.
Even at the highest level, I can also say that the Commissioners are generally taking their role seriously. One speaking example: the Common Agricultural Policy which has with years turned into a cash machine for farmers. What is the point of spending the vast majority of the European Budget on a tiny fraction of the population? When the EC tried to reform the subsidies, it was with great pain as producing Memeber States fought to preserve their interests. Well, we are still paying the subsidies (less and less), even if it makes the consumers and society worse off.
With respect to the Parliament and the MEP who really do their jobs (not the bozos cashing their indemnities), there is a true desire to represent the European Citizens. You can be your own judge by looking at the laws that were passed: SMS rate, limitation of toxic products, etc. From what I experienced from the MEP scrutiny, it is clear that MEPs do not act like their American counterparts and the Pork Barrel legislation.
I cannot say the same about Member States... No need to work at the EC to see how each Council becomes a bargain mess whenever a major decision needs to be taken. Where most of countries agree that majority equals general interest, at the Council level it must be consensus in most case, two third at best, . But when it comes to our relations with Member States, mostly in the various committees, it can be clearer that we are not talking from the same point of view. But what do you expect? After all committees are there to make sure that Member States don't get screwed. I personally found it hard sometimes, because some have no shame in doing so.
Like any other honest public servant, I would like as much as possible serve the General Interest. So anything that strengthen the European Citizens is good for me. But only you, the European Citizen, can decide what is the best proxy for the General Interest. If at the national level, there is a agreement, it is yet to be done seriously at the European level. European Constitution, Treaty of Lisbon or anything else.
I think the ball is in your hands.
VOTE!!! or just SHUT UP for the next 5 years
Here is your time to make us, EUROTECHNOCRATS, accountable!!! So please go and vote...
If you are still not convinced by the importance of this election, here comes some of our propaganda:
Did you know that the European Parliament plays a key part in deciding how the EU budget of some €133bn per year will be spent?
45% of it, or some €60 billion, currently goes on promoting competitiveness, growth and jobs as well as on reducing the differences between the richest and poorest regions. This gap has been reduced by about a sixth between 2000 and 2006.
Did you know that the EU helps people in difficult economic conditions?
The European Globalisation Adjustment Fund, approved by the European Parliament, has up to €500 million available each year to help people made redundant find new jobs.
Did you know that the EU has strengthened the rules on using potentially risky chemical substances in Europe?
New legislation on chemicals, adopted together with the European Parliament, came into force in 2007 and will assure the safe use of some 30 000 potentially dangerous substances. It puts the onus on industry to collect data and guarantee the safety of chemicals. The legislation is known as "REACH', which stands for the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and restriction of Chemical substances.
The EU is also encouraging industry to introduce more biodegradable types of plastic for bags, cups, food wrapping, plant pots etc.
Did you know that the European Parliament played a key part in bringing an end to roaming charge rip-offs across Europe?
Charges have been reduced by up to 60% when you use your mobile phone abroad.
Did you know that thanks to the EU, there is now a single emergency number for the whole of Europe?
The European Parliament together with the Commission has ensured that since January 2009 you can reach the emergency services by dialing 112 anywhere in the EU.
Did you know that you fly more safely thanks to an EU blacklist?
Thanks to a regulation adopted with the cooperation of the European Parliament, airlines failing to meet safety requirements appear on an EU blacklist and are subject to an EU-wide ban.
Did you know that as a result of legislation endorsed by the European Parliament, temporary workers in the EU have the same rights as permanent employees as well as improved working conditions?
Temporary workers in the EU make up as much as 10 % of the workforce - or more than 6 million jobs. Thanks to EU legislation, they can now enjoy the same basic working and employment conditions as their permanent colleagues. The agreement maintains the flexibility that industry needs and allows workers to achieve a better work-life balance.
Did you know that your food is now safer than ever?
The European Parliament has contributed to the adoption of a wide range of measures to ensure that food across Europe is safe to eat, and to encourage a healthy diet. These measures cover the whole food supply chain, "from farm to fork", setting standards and monitoring animal health and welfare, plants and crops as well as food imports. The European Food Safety Authority is there to give independent scientific advice.
The EU sets stringent rules for organic produce, and stops the manufacturers of 'health foods' or slimming products making inaccurate or unsubstantiated claims. EU legislation on food labelling aims to give consumers all the background they need in order to make informed purchasing choices.
Did you know that it is now even easier to travel around Europe without borders?
The European Parliament gave its support to the enlargement of the Schengen area. The area without internal border controls has now expanded to 22 EU Member States, (i.e. all of them except Cyprus, Romania, Bulgaria, Ireland and the UK - the last two having opted out) and three associated States (Norway, Iceland and Switzerland).
Did you know that the European Parliament has a say in who can join the European Union?
The EU Member States can decide on whether new members should join the Union, only with the agreement of the European Parliament. Croatia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Turkey are the current candidate countries whilst Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Serbia, as well as Kosovo are potential candidates. The European Parliament is assessing their progress and will have a final say on whether these countries become Member States of the EU or not.
Did you know that the EU is the most important development aid donor in the world?
As it aims to meet the Millennium Development Goals under the next European Parliament, the EU (European Commission plus the contributions of individual Member States) accounts for some 60% of all global aid - or a combined total of €49 billion in 2008. The EU is also playing a leading role in making aid more effective and ensuring that other EU policies such as trade, environment, agriculture etc are coherent with development goals. The European Parliament continues to be closely involved through the "European Development Consensus" established in 2005 between the EU Institutions and the Member States.
Accountability at the European Commission: the role of the European Parliament
European elections are soon, and it is for us, officials of the European Institutions, a very important moment that will shape our work for the next five days. It is also for me the occasion to talk about how much accountable Eurocrats are towards the European Citizens.
I am more and more bothered by those eurosceptic populists who like to portray the EC as a distant and uncontrollable beast, which comes up with stupid and irrational regulations. Once again, it is true that the Commission is a bit far away from the citizens, but is it not due in part to the laziness of European citizens?
The European Commission is in fact very much accountable to the citizens (also known as the Taxpayers) in several ways:
On many matters where treaties have given the EC the initiative on legislation, the Commission is quite autonomous in spending its bugdet. However, the Parliament has a "Droit de Regard", and many MEP do not refrain from asking a lot of questions. On our side we are required to give an answer to every single request (even the stupidest) fast.
This is what I call democracy and accountability. It surely happens at the national level in some countries, but rest assured that the crazy officials that we are, are controlled by a democratic body...
I actually welcome this scrutiny, because it just reminds us that policy isn't just a theoretical exercise. It might be harder to work through the politics of the Parliament, but it is much healthier. I quite enjoy when some colleagues get rebuffed by their parliament committee, thinking that their proposal was so well thoughts... That is not how it works, fortunate. It happens to me once as well, not so long ago where a proposal was put forward not in line with the objectives of the regulations, we tried as best as we could to disguise our text... but it was magnificently rejected by the relevant parliament committee. To be honest, it is often that we receive political pressure from cabinets, some times from ass-kissing directors, and we do appreciate when the MEPs come to rescue us.
So really, nothing does piss me off more that those people who just either don't vote at the European elections or vote useless parties and then complaint that Brussels is going too far. No vote, no voice!!!
I am more and more bothered by those eurosceptic populists who like to portray the EC as a distant and uncontrollable beast, which comes up with stupid and irrational regulations. Once again, it is true that the Commission is a bit far away from the citizens, but is it not due in part to the laziness of European citizens?
The European Commission is in fact very much accountable to the citizens (also known as the Taxpayers) in several ways:
- The European Parliament
- The Member States
- The Court of Auditors
- The Ombudsman
- OLAF
On many matters where treaties have given the EC the initiative on legislation, the Commission is quite autonomous in spending its bugdet. However, the Parliament has a "Droit de Regard", and many MEP do not refrain from asking a lot of questions. On our side we are required to give an answer to every single request (even the stupidest) fast.
This is what I call democracy and accountability. It surely happens at the national level in some countries, but rest assured that the crazy officials that we are, are controlled by a democratic body...
I actually welcome this scrutiny, because it just reminds us that policy isn't just a theoretical exercise. It might be harder to work through the politics of the Parliament, but it is much healthier. I quite enjoy when some colleagues get rebuffed by their parliament committee, thinking that their proposal was so well thoughts... That is not how it works, fortunate. It happens to me once as well, not so long ago where a proposal was put forward not in line with the objectives of the regulations, we tried as best as we could to disguise our text... but it was magnificently rejected by the relevant parliament committee. To be honest, it is often that we receive political pressure from cabinets, some times from ass-kissing directors, and we do appreciate when the MEPs come to rescue us.
So really, nothing does piss me off more that those people who just either don't vote at the European elections or vote useless parties and then complaint that Brussels is going too far. No vote, no voice!!!
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