What the EU needs during the current economic crisis, and in the vital debate on a post-Kyoto settlement to tackle global warming, is strong leadership from a Commission president who is not afraid of being unpopular – even with the big member states. Mr Barroso must show that he will be more independent in a second term. In exchange, the parliament should give him its clear endorsement in September. Any further hesitation would be unlikely to produce a better candidate. It would just be a demonstration of pointless institutional squabbling.
Read the full FT article here
Showing posts with label Support 2nd Mandate. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Support 2nd Mandate. Show all posts
Sunday, 12 July 2009
Friday, 26 June 2009
The nonsense campaign against Mr Barroso
According to the current rule book of the EU, aka the Nice Treaty, it is for the national leaders to nominate a new president of the commission. Their nominee must then be approved by a simple majority of members voting in the European Parliament. That, pretty much, is that.
Arguably, national leaders are going beyond what they strictly have to do: after unanimously agreeing to offer Mr Barroso a second term, they have instructed the current and future rotating presidency countries (the Czechs and Swedes) to sound out the heads of the big parliamentary groups and ask what would happen if the Barroso re-appointment is put to MEPs in July, when they gather in Strasbourg for their first plenary session since the recent Euro-elections.
Um, where is the outrage? Over to Mr Schultz, the fact that national governments, meeting as the European Council:
“wish to run this past a meeting of the European Parliament leaders at the end of June, followed by a vote in July, rather than to have a full and official consultation of the Parliament, is wholly unacceptable. (...)
"My group objects to the indecent haste with which the Council is trying to rush through Mr. Barroso's appointment and we will certainly vote against him".
But people who dislike Mr Barroso, and there are a lot of them in the Brussels bubble, think it will be harder for him to obtain an absolute majority than a simple majority, so they want to take the decision under Lisbon rules. They argue that it is wrong to use the Nice rules, because Lisbon is coming soon and will affect the number of commissioners who will serve under the new president. So they would either like to delay the decision for months, or “anticipate” its ratification and vote as if Lisbon were in force.
I have no doubt that my children would like to “anticipate” Christmas and have their presents in October. But it ain’t happening in my house, and it is not clear to me why it should happen in the European Parliament.
Read the Economist blog
Arguably, national leaders are going beyond what they strictly have to do: after unanimously agreeing to offer Mr Barroso a second term, they have instructed the current and future rotating presidency countries (the Czechs and Swedes) to sound out the heads of the big parliamentary groups and ask what would happen if the Barroso re-appointment is put to MEPs in July, when they gather in Strasbourg for their first plenary session since the recent Euro-elections.
Um, where is the outrage? Over to Mr Schultz, the fact that national governments, meeting as the European Council:
“wish to run this past a meeting of the European Parliament leaders at the end of June, followed by a vote in July, rather than to have a full and official consultation of the Parliament, is wholly unacceptable. (...)
"My group objects to the indecent haste with which the Council is trying to rush through Mr. Barroso's appointment and we will certainly vote against him".
But people who dislike Mr Barroso, and there are a lot of them in the Brussels bubble, think it will be harder for him to obtain an absolute majority than a simple majority, so they want to take the decision under Lisbon rules. They argue that it is wrong to use the Nice rules, because Lisbon is coming soon and will affect the number of commissioners who will serve under the new president. So they would either like to delay the decision for months, or “anticipate” its ratification and vote as if Lisbon were in force.
I have no doubt that my children would like to “anticipate” Christmas and have their presents in October. But it ain’t happening in my house, and it is not clear to me why it should happen in the European Parliament.
Read the Economist blog
Friday, 19 June 2009
Unanimous support for Second Mandate
EU leaders have given unanimous political backing for Jose Manuel Barroso to become president of the European Commission for a second time, putting an end to months of speculation about his candidacy.
Czech Prime minister Jan Fischer, currently in charge of the EU, said there was "broad and unanimous support" for the centre-right Portuguese politician, who presented some of his plans for his second mandate during a dinner with EU leaders on Thursday evening (18 June).
A clearly-relieved Mr Barroso, who first put out feelers for a second mandate two years ago, said: "what can I say to you except I am extremely proud of the unanimous support I received."
He explained he had received backing from all 27 governments because he has always shown "respect" to all member states regardless of size or geography.
Read the full EUobserver article here
Czech Prime minister Jan Fischer, currently in charge of the EU, said there was "broad and unanimous support" for the centre-right Portuguese politician, who presented some of his plans for his second mandate during a dinner with EU leaders on Thursday evening (18 June).
A clearly-relieved Mr Barroso, who first put out feelers for a second mandate two years ago, said: "what can I say to you except I am extremely proud of the unanimous support I received."
He explained he had received backing from all 27 governments because he has always shown "respect" to all member states regardless of size or geography.
Read the full EUobserver article here
Sunday, 7 June 2009
Wednesday, 3 June 2009
German Socialists Support a Barroso II
European Commission President José Manuel Barroso seems well-placed to win a second term after the leader of Germany's Social Democrats, Franz Müntefering, said yesterday (27 May) that there was little point in the European Socialists naming their own alternative candidate in an attempt to halt the incumbent's re-appointment.
Continue reading this article here
Continue reading this article here
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