The European Commission wants to talk directly to you
President Jean-Claude Juncker is doing his utmost to stop his Commission being portrayed as a group of Eurocrats. I see two reasons for this: one is to be closer to people’s concerns and avoid the erosion of democratic legitimacy of his institution; the second is to stop the portrayal of the Commission – or “Brussels” – as the source of all problems in Europe.
Take the speech of President Juncker to the European Trade Union Congress that I attended last Tuesday. At a time when so many workers are concerned about their zero-hours and interim contracts, President Juncker stated (in French) that, “workers need predictability and therefore we have to plead in favour of open ended contracts.” He used his intervention to address a major concern for many workers that has been exacerbated by the policies of Member States.
The second example comes from Commission First Vice-President Frans Timmermans. Last Thursday he held his first colloquium on fundamental rights. He said to the participants, “we do not just want to listen to you and your concerns today […] we remain here to listen and help when this colloquium is over […] so I know what I need to do when there is an issue at hand.”
Vice-President Timmermans wants to act, and deliver. However, it’s important that we are not bowled over by the Commission’s rhetoric – despite it being a breath of fresh air after Barroso II. Now we must hold President Juncker, Vice-President Timmermans and the rest of the College accountable for following through on their promises. Will people actually see their precarious contracts turn into open-ended contracts thanks to the leadership of the Commission? How will the Commission make sure that those who contravene fundamental rights are sanctioned? People feel further away from the EU because the EU has moved away from its people. It will take concrete actions to restore confidence in the European project.
As we are talking about moving away, the European Parliament has relocated for its monthly plenary session in Strasbourg where the Commission will finally hold its three-times-postponed orientation debate on social policy. Will the results talk directly to you? Let’s wait and see…
Let’s engage,
Pierre Baussand, Director
