Awaiting the vote

The process leading the EU institutions to the nomination of the President of the European Commission is continuing. In the light of the elections of 4-7 June, the European Council had unanimously decided to renew the mandate given to the outgoing President, Barroso. On 3 September the Portuguese politician presented a draft of his programme for the next five years to the European Parliament: the various political groups in the EP then discussed these “political guidelines” between 7 and 9 September; the plenary debate is planned for 15 September, followed, on the next day, by the vote in chamber. The nomination of the Commission as a whole will follow in the autumn.Political partnership. “I will redouble my efforts to do everything possible to make an ambitious Europe happen”, declared José Manuel Barroso in his speech to the European Parliament in view of the vote that the EP will hold in Strasbourg. Barroso’s document (Political guidelines for the next Commission) sets out the principles and objectives that ought to inspire a “political partnership” between Commission and Parliament in the 2009-2014 legislature. Barroso declared: “I will take the special partnership with the EP to a new level, to ensure that the two institutions at the heart of the European project together pull their weight for a prosperous, secure and sustainable Europe – a Europe of freedom and solidarity”, a Europe that is developed on the strong foundations of the single market of the enlarged Union, the euro and our European social model. A serious dialogue. Receiving the document from Barroso’s hands, the President of the EP, Jerzy Buzek, spoke of “a valid point of departure for a detailed discussion with the Parliament on the priorities for the next five years”. The Polish representative added: “The political groups are now in a position to establish a serious dialogue with the President designate”. Reactions to Barroso’s document were not slow in coming: some groups spoke of “strong ideas for a Europe of results” and a Europe “closer to citizens”, others emphasized the themes of geopolitics and the “external dimension” of the EU; yet others contested the “many truisms” allegedly present in the text and the lack of political courage. Unanimous, however, is the willingness of the EP to discuss with Barroso the major issues regarding EU integration and policies. The Union at the crossroads. The crucial points touched on in the “political guidelines” also include the overcoming of the economic crisis, the fight against climate change, the creation of “new factors of sustainable growth and social cohesion”, and measures to foster the progress of “a Europe of peoples”. In his document Barroso touches on many issues: with regard to the Lisbon Treaty and the necessary reforms to make the “common home” work, he points out that, “if ratified”, the Treaty “will furnish us with the means to give the go ahead to a new era in the projection of EU interests at the planetary level”. Barroso then calls for “a radical reform of the EU budget”, and “closer and more creative collaboration with the European Investment Bank and with the private sector”. The EU “is faced by a choice – warns the President of the Commission -: either we give rise with a collective effort to the new order or Europe will have to resign itself to losing importance”.Pro and contra. The document addressed by Barroso to MEPs comes after months of discussions and frictions between European Council, Parliament and Commission. The complex procedure for the designation of the President and the Commission as a whole is being played out in a phase of a lack of institutional clarity. Politicians and jurists ask themselves whether the Commission of the next five years should be defined on the basis of the existing Treaty of Nice or whether it might be better to await the different rules contained in the Lisbon Treaty which could (the conditional tense is obligatory) enter into force in the months ahead. Apart from this constitutional tussle, Barroso can claim the support of the governments of the 27 member states, of various political complexions; in the EP (which has the prerogative of holding a vote of ratification on the name of the candidate designated by the Council) supporters and detractors of Barroso are divided instead between right and left, as well as within the political and national groups themselves.Economy, environment. To return to the “political guidelines”, Barroso observes, with regard to the economic agenda: “At the present time the priority objective is to continue to support demand and curb the rise in unemployment”. That means “implementing in a robust way the European programme of economic revival, maintaining interest rates low and making use of our powers of public aid to support governments in their efforts aimed at reviving industrial and commercial activity”, though “without this having negative repercussions for other member states”. As for the fight against climate change, Barroso insists: “The next Commission must aim at a low carbon emission economy, aiming in particular at the decarbonization of electricity supplies and the transport sector” and “at the manufacture of clean electric cars”.