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Victory for democracy or setback for EU credibility and Lisbon?

Est. 1min

28-10-2004 (updated: 29-01-2010 )

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Faced with a potential negative vote in the Parliament,
Barroso withdrew his Commission team at the last moment.
He will now tour various capitals in order to
come up with a new Commission line-up. 

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Positions

In an interview given to Italian daily 
La Republicca

, 
Barroso

is quoted as saying that "this is not a soccer
game. It is not the victory of one institution on the
other. By acting this way, we reinforce each
other".

The new European Commission will be much stronger as a
result of its rejection by the European Parliament, 
UK Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson

stated.  "Mr Barroso has done the right thing.
It is better to have the right Commission with the best
cross-party basis of support than to have one pushed
through when feelings are running high on both
sides. 

In a statement, the 
Dutch Presidency

indicated that it will, together with Barroso and member
states, consider steps that can contribute to the
European Parliament's approval in the next few weeks
of the proposed nomination of the Council for a new
European Commission. 

Robert Fitzhenry, spokesperson of the EPP-ED
group

, said his group wants a strong Commission with a strong
President and refuses any scenario in which a single
commissioner is victimised. Noting that
László Kóvacs got the worst evaluation, he
stresses that "if there is a change of portfolio or
a change of commissioners, this would have to follow
the logic of the letters written by the EP committees
after the hearing". 

Speaking to AFP, 
François Hollande, leader of the French
socialists,

said that the Commission's withdrawal is "a
victory for the European Parliament and a proof that
democracy at European level is finally gaining
ground".  European institutions are
strengthened. The Parliament has played its role and
political responsibility has been implemented. Mr Barroso
, designated by heads of state and government, has been
forced to act according to the will of a majority of
MEPs".

Graham Watson

(Liberal Democrat, UK), leader of the 
Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe
(ALDE)

in the European Parliament, welcomed Barroso's
Commission withdrawal. "Today this house on the
River Rhine grows in stature. Its will was tested: its
will prevailed. (...) We asked for our considered
judgment to be treated with respect. At every stage, our
willingness to stand by that judgement was doubted, and
mistrusted and tested. Tested to the edge of political
crisis."  

Co-Presidents of the 
Greens/EFA Group, Daniel Cohn-Bendit and Monica
Frassoni

, said "Barroso's climbdown is testament to
Parliament's autonomy from national governments and a
growing sense of self-confidence that transcends
political grouping. So today should present a lesson not
only to the incoming Commission President, but also to EU
governments. They will no longer be able dispatch
unsuitable or incompetent individuals to Brussels and
rely on party colleagues to streamroll through their
approval. We need strong, skilful Commissioners, not
people parachuted in from national governments."

Marco Incerti

from the Brussels-based think-tank 
CEPS

 notes that the postponement of the vote is a
success for the Parliament and that Barroso stopped at
the last second not to lose his credibility. He notes
that "in the last weeks, the Commission has been
perceived as a weak institution because on the one side
Barroso had the member states sticking to their
candidates and on the other the parliament threatening to
vote down the whole Commission if Buttiglione was not
removed. The Parliament is trying to have the last word
while the member states want to keep the prerogative to
nominate whoever candidate they see fit," he said.
Incerti sees consequences from the Commission's
withdrawal on the groups' distribution of power in
the EP. "The socialists remained coherent and showed
independence from the Member States. They have acted as a
proper European political party. The EPP-ED, who backed
Buttiglione's nomination, had more to win if there
had been a vote. They wanted a showdown between the
EPP and the socialists to really show who was
the strongest," he said. As for the new
Liberal-Democrat group, he considers that MEPs have shown
the disparate nature of the group and that the
credibility of the group has been tarnished because MEPs
did not rally behind their leader Graham Watson, who
argued that it was more reasonable to have the Commission
approved. 

Alasdair Murray,

from the UK-based 
Centre of European Reform,

considers that the Buttiglione crisis raises questions
over Mr Barroso's ability to lead the Commission
during the next five years. "It is too early to say
whether the Commission's withdrawal will do a
short or long term damage to Barroso's
credibilty," he said. 

The 
Young European Federalists

welcomed the fact that Barroso has finally deemed it
necessary to listen to the European Parliament. However,
they regret the fact that Barroso's concessions
come as a result of behind-the-scenes horse trading, not
through an open and honest process that the European
people deserve. Claiming that all parties have now
understood that the process by which the Commission is
chosen is deeply flawed, they call for the European
Parliament to be granted powers to reject individual
commissioners.

Business federations, 
Eurochambres and Eurocommerce and
UEAPME 

are urging for a rapid solution to the current
crisis. "November is a critical month in terms of
the preparation of the mid-term review of the 
Lisbon agenda - each day of delay will have negative
effects on the economic reform which is urgently needed
and on the confidence of European citizens in the
capacity to act at European level.  We need a new,
strong Commission backed strongly by the European
Parliament which will use its full term in office to
advance economic reform which President-designate Barroso
has defined as the heart of his tenure," says
Eurochambres President Christopher Leitl. SMEs in
Europe maintain the hope that the revised team of
Commissioners will continue to be as committed
to business and economic growth as the one
originally proposed by Mr. Barroso" said Hans-Werner
Müller, Secretary General of the European craft and
SME employers'associations
(UEAPME).   

Background

Barroso's decision to withdraw his proposed
line-up of commissioners has triggered a range of
different reactions from EU actors. EURACTIV follows
up.

Timeline


  • Barroso is expected to meet EU
    heads of state and government on 29 October in Rome
    at a ceremony to sign the EU's new
    constitution.

  • Romano Prodi's Commission
    will stay on as a 'caretaker' until the new
    Commission receives Parliament's
    approval.

  • The new make-up of the
    Barroso's Commission has de facto become at
    least an informal item on the European
    Council’s agenda on 4-5
    November.  

  • At the earliest, Barroso will
    present his new team to the Parliament's
    plenary on 16 November with a vote the following
    day.

Further Reading

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