Speaking recently to EurActiv Slovakia, the former ambassador said the most important challenge facing the European Union is the implementation of the Lisbon Treaty, and particularly the strengthening of the European Parliament. Under Lisbon, the EU assembly becomes co-legislator with the Council in additional policy areas.
The Slovak nominee also mentioned greater involvement of national parliaments in EU policymaking, the new roles of the EU permanent president and High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.
"We have to focus on changes resulting from Lisbon Treaty, to find the optimal connection between the Council, the Commission and the Parliament, and an efficient way of involving national parliaments in the process," Šefčovič says.
A bridge between EU institutions
With the European Parliament's enhanced competencies, there will be more frequent conciliation procedures, Šefčovič said, stressing that MEPs will now have a say on 90% of EU policies. This is where the Slovak commissioner sees his main role: as a communication and information bridge between the Commission, the Parliament and the Council. He will represent the Commission in general affairs, participate in the organisation of EU summits and seek to boost relations with the European Parliament's Conference of Presidents and with the chairs of the House committees.
"I have to show my colleagues in the Commission that my initiatives are not going to touch their portfolios, but my frequent presence in partner institutions will be an added value [in the formulation of policies], so that I can better advise on how their proposals may more effectively and easily pass the approval procedure," Šefčovič said, adding that his portfolio, created by merging parts of Margot Wallström and Siim Kallas's portfolios, will have a great influence on the Commission's modus operandi.
"Of course, I'm aware of the fact that it depends a lot on my ability to handle this huge portfolio," he stressed.
'Natural' to have a more political Commission
Asked whether Barroso's new team is much more political than the previous college, as suggested by Brussels-based think-tank CEPS (Centre for European Policy Studies), Šefčovič said that if this were the case it should not be seen as a bad thing.
According to the commissioner-designate, the increased role of the Parliament leaves the Commission with limited opportunity to be successful in its role as an initiator of legislation. "Due to a stronger and more political Parliament, it is natural to have more a political Commission," he said, noting that the EU executive provides "very comprehensive technocratic content with a very strong political dimension".
Qualified majority voting will bring more efficiency
Because decisions will be taken in a growing number of cases by qualified majority, Šefčovič expects decisions to be taken more quickly, with the new process putting more pressure on member states.
"Decisions made by qualified majority voting will in fact count for more than 90% of areas. The character of national delegations will change as well. Every country will have to make clear right from the start of the negotiation process when they see problems with a decision. It will be necessary for them to seek partners and to find acceptable solutions on the issue from the beginning. The veto vote will no longer be the last thing to rely on. I believe that the further step towards qualified majority voting will speed up decision-making and make the process more efficient."
National parliaments: Bringing the European debate back home
Šefčovič finds it highly positive that the Lisbon Treaty gives more space to national parliaments in the carving of EU policies. Besides assuming the role of 'guardians of the principle of subsidiarity', national assemblies may help to communicate the EU to its citizens (see EurActiv LinksDossier).
"The connection with national parliaments promises to bring the European issues to national level, where they will be discussed in national parliaments. At last, the future European Parliament elections will focus more on European rather national issues," he declared.
Šefčovič also argued that the so-called 'Citizens' Initiative' launched with the Lisbon Treaty will increase citizens' participation in the EU legislative framework and thus boost the activities of the institutions and NGOs. One million citizens will have the right to sign a petition demanding that the Commission initiate legislation, within the specific competences of the EU. The precise rules and conditions for this are yet to be decided (EurActiv 11/11/09).
Who will represent the EU abroad?
One of the challenges posed by the Lisbon Treaty is how to shape the two new EU 'top jobs'. The permanent president of the European Council and the High Representative for Foreign Affairs have both the right to represent the European Union, but their exact duties are yet to be defined, said Šefčovič.
"The solutions will come later. My idea is that the permanent president of the European Council will be crucial in organising the summit with the foreign counterparts of the EU, whereas Baroness Ashton [who holds the position of High Representative for Foreign Affairs] will bear bigger responsibility for foreign representation itself."
"At least in the first phase, until the process starts, Baroness Ashton will face an enormous job. She will chair the foreign ministers' Councils, and each Wednesday she will participate on the meeting of the Commission as vice-president; at the same time she will have to manage the European External Action Service (EEAS), which will have at the beginning some 2,000 employees - and their number will grow with the personnel coming from the EC representations abroad - and finally she will act as an appointing authority for the high posts in the external service," he explained.
Šefčovič will assist Baroness Ashton in the creation of the EEAS. "[The service] will include experts from the European Commission and the Council Secretariat, plus some 30% diplomats from the member states," he added.
Commission five-year programme: Expect a complex text
The new Commission will introduce its five-year programme. Šefčovič said the programme will be based on the political guidelines of President Barroso and will be presented to the Parliament and member states. However, we should not expect a short and simple document, but rather complex and large text, he underlined.
One of the responsibilities of Commissioner-designate Šefčovič is to propose the future "programming process" for the European Commission. During the last five-year period, the Commission and the Parliament agreed on the principal aims and timing, and signed the inter-institutional agreement. They also proposed this agreement to the Council, but the Council was not really interested, he noted: "Let us see how the Council will react now on the initiative to have common programming period for this mandate of the Commission."
Recruiting in the Commission: Need to rebalance at high level
Slovakia and other new member states often criticise perceived underrepresentation of their citizens in the EU administration, especially in higher positions.
During the accession negotiations, the new members managed to win quotas for minimal representation of their citizens in the European Commission. This preferential regime will be in force until the end of 2010.
According to Šefčovič, this was definitely the right decision. "Without that, it would have been difficult for people from the new member states, who do not know this environment and could not be trained as well as the citizens from old members, to achieve [these positions] in the Commission," he stressed.
Slovakia's quota is now full, but problems remain regarding the higher posts. If he succeeds in his hearing, Šefčovič plans to use 2010 to resolve this.
