Barroso Commission
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The Barroso Commission is the European Commission that has been in office since 22 November 2004 and is due to serve until 31 October, 2009. Its president is José Manuel Barroso, who presides over 26 other commissioners (one from each state).
The Barroso Commission was originally set to take office on 1 November. However, strong opposition from the European Parliament towards the first proposed composition of the Barroso Commission forced Barroso, as President-designate, to withdraw his proposal.
A revised Commission was finally approved by Parliament on 18 November. With Bulgaria and Romania's accession to the European Union, the Commission was expanded from 25 to 27 Commissioners.
President
The President is the former Prime Minister of Portugal; José Manuel Barroso. He took over from former Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi who served from 1999 (Prodi Commission).
He is a member of the European People's Party and was appointed by the European Council in June 2004 in response to the victory of the EPP-ED in the 2004 European elections. This was the first time the Commission President had been appointed according to the results of the latest European Elections.
Some of Barroso's stated aims are to tackle voter apathy and euroscepticism, visible during those elections, to work with the United States and to develop a "defence identity."[1]
Barroso comes from a small integrationist state and had become unpopular due to his economic policies.[2] His government had backed the United States in the Iraq war. The leader of the socialist group, Martin Schulz, criticised him for his pro- war stance, optimised by his organisation of the Azores summit.[3] Despite such opposition, the European Parliament approved him as President by 413, although there were difficulties over his choice of Commissioners (see below).
He has earned some criticism due to his leadership of the expanded Commission — with it being notably more Presidential than his predecessors[4] while acting in favour of larger states in order to secure a desired second term in office.[5][6]
Commissioners
Member states appoint one Commissioner each (including the President). It is the first Commission where larger member-states do not have two Commissioners and the first full Commission following the 2004 enlargement. From 2004 there were 25 members, raising to 27 from 2007. There are 8 women in the college (7 before 2007) and no ethnic minorities. Most Commissioners (20) were born in the 1940s and 1950s with the youngest member being Olli Rehn (b. 1962) and the oldest being Jacques Barrot (b. 1937).
Most members are former ministers with links to the Union, for example being Foreign Minister, Minister for European Affairs or represented their country in accession talks or at the European Convention. In addition to Barroso both Siim Kallas and Vladimír Špidla are former Prime Ministers. Viviane Reding is the only Commissioner with a background in the European Parliament.
Politically they come from each of the major political parties; the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party (8), the European People's Party (8) and the Party of European Socialists (6). In addition there are 4 Independents and one member of the Alliance for Europe of the Nations. Barroso had been complemented for balancing the portfolios between countries, such as between small and large, new and old and pro and anti (Iraq) war[7]. Before 2007 there were only 7 Liberals and 3 Independents.
The list of Commissioners below uses the following colour key of political leanings from 2007;
| Affiliation | Left leaning (PES) | Centre (ELDR) | Right leaning (EPP/AEN) | Independent |
| Number | Six | Eight | Nine | Four |
College
Secretary-General
The Secretary-General for this term was Catherine Day, appointed in 2005. She was the first woman to hold the post and took over from David O'Sullivan who served from 2000 and subsequently became director-general for Trade.
Ms. Day was part of a vast reshuffle of Commission officials by the President after he came to power. The reshuffle was welcomed by the right wing as the new director-generals, including Ms. Day, were liberal reformers, many British and German. A move which did not go down well with France, symbolic of their loss of influence, who were opposed to Ms. Day due to her liberal economic reforms. Indeed, Ms. Day became very notable in the Commission for her opposition to French state aid policies.[8]
History
- See also: Recent History of the European Union
Some major themes throughout the Barroso Commission have been enlargement, the Lisbon Strategy, the Constitution, the Bolkestein Directive and the development of an Energy policy. Numerous other events took place throughout Barroso's administration:
2004
- 1 May: 2004 Enlargement.
- 10-13 June: European Parliament election, 2004 expanding the Commission.
- 22 July; Parliament approves Barroso as President.
- 1 November: Original date for Barroso to enter office delayed due to parliamentary opposition to some of his Commissioners. A new college is later submitted.
- 18 November: Parliament approves the Barroso Commission.
- 22 November: Barroso Commission took office.
2005
- 1 January: Luxembourg takes the
Presidency of the Council of the European Union . - 26 January: Commissions strategic objectives outlined as: "Prosperity, Solidarity and Security."
- 16 February: The Kyoto protocol enters into force.
- 20 February: Spain approves the Constitution by referendum.
- 29 May: France rejects the Constitution by referendum.
- 30 May: Jyllands-Posten publishes a series of cartoons which were found insulting by Muslim groups triggering protests and attacks against Europe such as the storming of a Commission office. Frattini backed the freedom of speech of the newspaper.
- 1 June: Netherlands rejects the Constitution by referendum.
- 1 July: The United Kingdom takes the Presidency.
- 7 July: Terrorist attack in London
- 10 July: Luxembourg approves the Constitution by referendum.
- 3 October: Accession negotiations start with Croatia and Turkey.
- 18 December: WTO talks in Hong Kong fail to conclude the Doha Development Agenda.
2006
- 1 January: Austria takes the Presidency.
- 2 February: The Commission launches a white paper on communication policy.
- 16 February: The Commission's 'Bolkestein Directive' is approved at its first reading by the MEPs amid large protests outside the Parliament.
- 7 April: .eu domain opens to the public.
- 4 May: The Commission adopts a green paper on the European Transparency Initiative.
- 3 June: Montenegro declares independence, leads to separate relations and accession negotiations.
- 21 June: Barroso attends EU-US summit in Vienna.
- 1 July: Finland takes the Presidency.
- 12 July: Kroes gives Microsoft a 280.5 million euro fine for its anti-competitive behaviour.
- 24 July: The Council adopts a common position on the Bolkestein Directive
- 15 November: European Parliament adopts the Bolkestein Directive at its second reading.
- 12 December: Parliament approves the Bulgarian and Romanian Commissioners despite concerns over the weakness of the Multilingualism portfolio.
2007
- 1 January: Romania and Bulgaria join the European Union, Meglena Kuneva and Leonard Orban join the Barroso Commission. Slovenia adopts the Euro, Germany takes the Presidency.
- 10 January: the Commission publishes its proposals for the EU's first energy policy with an emphasis on fighting climate change.
- 25 March: 50 Years since the Treaties of Rome, Barroso takes part in the signing of the Berlin Declaration along side the other institutions, rather than the national leaders.
- 30 April: An Open skies agreement is signed with the United States.
- 8 May: MEPs ask Commission to reintroduce healthcare into the Bolkestein Directive.
- 16 May: Barrot announces more public financing will be needed for the Galileo positioning system.
- 23 May: Parliament approves a cap on roaming charges.
- 27 May: Louis Michel takes a controversial leave of absence to compete in Belgian elections. Olli Rehn takes on his duties.
- 1 June: REACH directive comes into force.
- 22 June: European Council reaches agreement on the Reform Treaty.
- 1 July: Portugal takes the Presidency.
- 29 June: Attempted terrorist attack in London.
- 30 June: Terrorist attack in Glasgow.
- 14 July: Bastille Day Military Parade attended by all institution Presidents, watching forces from all 27 states.
- 23 July: Opening of IGC on the Reform Treaty.
- 24 July: Benita Ferrero-Waldner with Cécilia Sarkozy secures the final release of Bulgarian medics from Libya.
- 28 August: MEPs ask to question Barroso over the funding of his party.
- 13 September: Commissioners gather to discuss future policy agenda.
- 17 September: CFI finds in favour of the Commission in European Union v. Microsoft.
Appointment
President
The Parliament approved Barroso as President on 22 July 2004 by 413 votes to 215 (44 abstentions). Most of his support came from the EPP-ED group. Barroso rejected the idea of a "supercommissioner" and desired 1/3 of the Commission to be women (which he achieved) and that the most powerful portfolios should be handed to those most capable, not those from larger states.[9][10][11] Other possible Presidents that had been discussed included:[12][13][14]
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Proposed college
The first announced list of portfolio holders was announced by President-designate Barroso on 12
August, but failed to be approved by the European Parliament. The difference between the first proposed composition and
the final one were the following:
- Rocco Buttiglione (
Italy ), Justice, Freedom and Security.
Instead of Franco Frattini. - Ingrida Udre (
Latvia ), Taxation and Customs Union.
Instead of Andris Piebalgs (for Latvia) and László Kovács (for Taxation). - László Kovács (
Hungary ), Commissioner for Energy.
Instead of Andris Piebalgs.
Hearings before the committees of the European Parliament questioned the suitability of several of the candidates; László Kovács, for insufficient professional competence in the energy field; Ingrida Udre, over allegations of irregularities in the funding of her political party; Neelie Kroes, for insufficient detailed grasp of certain specific subjects; and Mariann Fischer-Boel, for insufficient determination to defend European farmer's interests, and an unwillingness to enter into a dialogue with the parliament.
However the most controversial proposed commissioner was Buttiglione due to his expressed views on homosexuality and women. Though he had the support of the European People's Party (the largest of the European Parliament party groups), the Socialists and the Liberals refused to vote for a commission that retained Buttiglione with the justice portfolio.
With rejection by the European Parliament seeming likely, on 27 October 2004, Barroso withdrew his proposal for the new commission. Later Italy's government announced its withdrawal of Buttiglione as designate commissioner, nominating Franco Frattini in his place.
Final college
At Barroso's request, Latvia's government likewise withdrew Ingrida Udre, nominating Andris Piebalgs in her place. Andris Piebalgs had previously served as chef de cabinet to Sandra Kalniete, Latvia's member of the Prodi Commission. Lastly Hungarian Laszlo Kovacs was moved to the taxation and customs position. No action was taken over Neelie Kroes or Mariann Fischer-Boel.
Barroso's Commission faced another scandal on when the new Commission line up was being approved. It was revealed by United Kingdom Independence Party MEP Nigel Farage that Jacques Barrot, the commissioner from France, had been convicted of fraud in 2000. Following his conviction, Barrot had received a presidential amnesty from Jacques Chirac, making it illegal in France to even mention his conviction.
Members of the Socialist and Liberal groups in the European Parliament urged Barroso to suspend Barrot from the Commission for failing to disclose his conviction during the confirmation period but Barroso stuck with the French Commissioner saying he was never proven unfit for office[15]. Barrot had previously been a commissioner since January 2000, having served as Commissioner for Regional Policy under Romano Prodi.
Estonian Siim Kallas was also accused by UKIP of having a criminal record in fraud, however this proved to be incorrect, based on a false newspaper article. UKIP acknowledged this and apologised.[16] Despite the remaining concerns, the Commission was approved on 18 November 2004 with the support of the major parties (449 votes in favour, 149 against and 82 abstentions). The Commission took office 22 days later than originally planned.
2007 Enlargement
- Further information: Bulgarian membership of the European Union and Romanian membership of the European Union
Romania and Bulgaria joined the EU on 1 January 2007. Each were granted a single Commissioner each, increasing the college to 27 members. To accommodate them Consumer Protection was split from the Health & Consumer Protection and given to Bulgarian, Meglena Kuneva. The portfolio had a warm reception for being large and popular.
Romania originally proposed Senator Varujan Vosganian, however he quickly met with opposition from Socialist MEPs for having no "European profile" among other things. That nomination was replaced by Leonard Orban and he was given the portfolio of Multilingualism. This however was met a cool reception for being such a slim portfolio. MEP Martin Schulz (PES) suggested it should instead focus on ethnic minorities but this was rejected by Barroso.
Both were approved by the Parliament on 12 December 2007: Orban with 595 votes in favour, 16 against and 29 abstentions. Kuneva with 583 votes "in favour", 21 votes "against" and 28 votes "abstentions". The two countries accession treaties outlined for the first time a legal obligation to consult parliament.
With the Commission increasing from 25 to 27 members, the already large Commission increased further. Although after the 1 May 2004 enlargement the Commission was 30 members strong the Barroso Commission is the largest full term Commission thus far. President Barroso has adopted a more presidential style of leadership compared to some previous Presidents as a result; which has earned him some criticism[17]. He has been particularly criticised in this area where he is seen to be acting in favour of the larger states, with some accusing him of attempting to curry favour from those states in order to secure a second mandate (for 2009-2014)[18].
Concern has been expressed by Commissioner such as Günter Verheugen in regards to overlap of mandates and fractionalisation of the Commissions Directorate-Generals leading to "turf-wars" and a lack of coordination.[19] Smaller Commissions are envisioned in the, currently stalled, European Constitution which would see its membership shrink to two-thirds of the member-states. This would mean currently there would be 18 Commissioner for the 27 member-states.
Political issues
Aid and development Commissioner, Louis Michel, is to take leave from his work from the 12 May 2007 in order to compete for a seat in the Belgian Senate in the Belgian general election, 2007. Olli Rehn will take over his duties. He was invited to take part on account of his popularity and was offered a position at the top of the party list, however he turned it down in favour of a position at the bottom - ensuring he will not get a seat in order to guarantee he can return to the Commission after the election. [20] Although not uncommon; Commissioners must remain above national politics in exercising their duties. Commissioner Michel has been criticised by MEPs for neglecting his duties and getting involved in national politics. The European Parliament's development committee asked the Parliament's legal service to assess if his participation is a violation of the treaties[21].
Michel is not alone in a general politicisation of the Commission, for example Neelie Kroes backed Angela Merkel in the 2005 German elections and Margot Wallstrom backed Ségolène Royal in the 2007 French elections[22]. Under new plans released by Wallström, European political parties would gain greater prominence and would give them greater ability to run candidates for Commission President (a commonly touted idea). If he gains the backing of the People's Party, Barroso may run for a second Presidency as their candidate.[23]
In August 2007, a scandal arose around party funds when Barroso was still the leader of the Portuguese Social Democratic Party. Although it is seen as a national matter, it is seen by some as a matter of the President's integrity. MEPs are asking to question Barroso on the matter while Portuguese authorities investigate.[24]
Future policies
On 2007-09-13 the Commission is due to meet at a Chateau in south west of Brussels wto discuss the policies to be pursued for the remainder of their term. Due to the limited time, they are expected to pursue items with little controversy so they can be achieved in the current Parliament. Even if no new items are proposed, the Commission still has to carry out its breakup of the energy market, put forward legislation for achieving the EU's environmental goals, deal with immigration, reform of the EU budget and deal with the EU reform treaty.[25]
It is also expected that Barroso is seeking to outline what his legacy for this Commission will be in order to boost his chances of getting a second mandate from 2009. It is already believed that he is seeking a second term and that he has been attempting to strike a balance between the larger member states who will have most influence in his reappointment. Despite his administration being economically liberal, he had stopped Charlie McCreevy, internal market commissioner, from overhauling artists' levies after pressure from Paris.[25]
See also
External links
- Members of the Barroso Commission
- Photo of the Members of the European Commission presided by José Manuel Barroso European NAvigator
- The Barroso Commission and its 'cabinets' euractive.com
- Commission's work programe ec.europa.eu
- Europedia: Guide to European policies and legislation
- The new Commission - Some initial thoughts bmbrussels.be
- The European Commission's new president has shown bold political judgement independent.co.uk
- Europe finally agrees on a new President 'independent.co.uk
- Barroso is favourite as deadline is set for EU leadership deal independent.co.uk
- First woman is appointed as head of EU civil service iht.com
- Interview with European Commission Secretary-General Catherine Day euractiv.com 25/09/06
References
- ^ Barroso insists he will control portfolios : More women sought as EU commissioners iht.com 23/06/04
- ^ Commission president: Key candidates news.bbc.co.uk 27/06/04
- ^ Barroso insists he will control portfolios : More women sought as EU commissioners iht.com 23/06/04
- ^ EU commission sees civil servants' power grow euobserver.com 22/02/07
- ^ Barroso accused of currying favour with biggest states ft.com 22/12/06
- ^ European politics to get more political, EU Observer 27/06/07.
- ^ BM: The new Commission - some initial thoughts bmbrussels.be 2004
- ^ Inside Brussels" Right turn ahead ft.com 10/11/05 (subscription only, free version available here)
- ^ Election of the European Commission europarl.europa.eu 22/10/04
- ^ MEPs confirm new Brussels chief news.bbc.co.uk 22/07/04
- ^ Barroso insists he will control portfolios : More women sought as EU commissioners iht.com 23/06/04
- ^ Two more candidates for Commission President epha.org 18/06/04
- ^ Commission president: Key candidates news.bbc.co.uk 27/06/04
- ^ Choosing a New EU Commission President dw-world.de 16/06/04
- ^ Questions arise over another EU commissioner iht.com 20/11/04
- ^ Siim Kallas – An apology & correction ukip.org 31/03/04
- ^ EU commission sees civil servants' power grow euobserver.com 22/02/07
- ^ Barroso accused of currying favour with biggest states ft.com 22/12/06
- ^ Interview with Günter Verheugen, vice-president and commissioner for enterprise and industry euractiv.com 02/08/05
- ^ EU development commissioner to take unpaid leave EU Observer 2007
- ^ MEPs call for Michel’s resignation European Voice 2007
- ^ EU commissioner backs Royal in French election euobserver.com 2007
- ^ European politics to get more political, EU Observer 27/06/07, Accessed June 27 2007.
- ^ Goldirova, Renata (2007-08-27) Barroso faces questions over domestic scanda, EU Observer.
- ^ a b Mahony, Honor and Kubosova, Lucia (2007-09-10) Commissioners to plan next EU projects, EU Observer
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