Consequences
Political groups are currently being formed in the European Parliament. Smaller national parties will have to decide wether they want to join an already existing group or to create a new one. A minimum of 25 MEPs from at least 7 member states is required to form a group. The political groups submit amendments to the bills proposed by the European Commission and have therefore an influence on community legislation. The eurosceptic "European Conservatives and Reformists" (ECR) are the 4th largest group in the new European Parliament. The group is strongly opposed to federalism, to the so called European bureaucracy, they furthermore step in favour of free and undistorted competition and wish the European Union moved closer to NATO. The 55 MEPs who belong to the ECR group (of which 26 conservatives from the UK, 15 members of the Polish party PiS[1] that was founded by the Kaczyński brothers, and 9 members of Mirek Topolanek’s Czech party ODS[2]) have gathered on David Cameron’s initiative; the british conservative leader argued that the EPP was too federalist.
Forging alliances is in the interest of smaller parties and already existing groups: entering into an alliance enables them to become larger and to achieve an increased political impact as a group. Besides, within an alliance, they are in a position to negociate in order to get more speaking time or to have a member appointed rapporteur, committee chairman, or to another significant position. By way of example, the Italian Democrat Party and its 21 MEPs have juste negociated to join the Socialist Group in the European Party. The group will therefore merge with the Italian Partido Democratico to form the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (PASD). The former EPP-ED Group (Group of European People’s Party and European Democrats) becomes again EPP as British conservatives have left to form the ECR (European Conservatives and Reformists). More than a change in acronyms, the election and the subsequent group reshuffle leads to political consequences: the former Socialist group will have to take into account the Green’s success as well as to adapt to the Italian Partido Democratico’s centrist orientation. EPP’s "law-and-order" line will be affected since British conservatives have left the group.
Unlike national elections, the European Parliament elections do not lead to the formation of a new "government". MEPs do not apopint members of the Commission, which is the EU’s executive power. Since the Treaty of Nice came into force, the European Council nominates by qualified majority the person it intends to appoint as President of the Commission. Subsequent approval of the nomination by the European Parliament (EP) is then required. 18 and 19 June, the Council, meeting in the composition of Heads of State or Government, have unanimously agreed to reniew the mandate of Jose Manuel Barroso, President in office of the European Commission, for the term 2009-2014. This decisions was made although France and Germany had expressed reservations about the programme Barroso shall present at the G8 summit[3] this summer. Discussions are to take place between the president in office of the European Council and his incoming counterpart[4] on the one side and the European Parliament on the other side in order to clarify whethe or not the EP is likely to approve the nomination during the July plenary session. According to the Belgian dutch-speaking newspapers Het Laatste Nieuws and De Morgen[5], socialists, green and liberals are not in favour of a second term for Barrosso. The leading lights in those three parties are actively campaigning behind the political scenes in order to propose Guy Verhofstadt as an alternative candidate. Whereas the Co-president of the Green Group Daniel Cohn Bendit has officially expressed his position on this possible candidate, neither the liberals nor the socialists have made any clear statement yet. At the end of the discussions, the European Council will formalise the decision[6].
In a second phase, member states draft a list of their commissioner candidates: each member state is entitled to propose one national candidate for a Commission portfolio. The Council approves the list by qualified majority and in agreement with the nominated President of the Commission. The President and the Commissioners form a College that is then subject to the Parliament’s vote of approval. Commissioners shall be nominated as soon as the second Irish Refrendum about the Lisbon Treaty has been completed. Under Lisbon, there is a direct link between the outcomes of the Parliament election and the nomination of the Commissioners.
According to the Lisbon treaty, the candidate president of the Commission shall be elected by an absolute majority of MEPs (369 Votes), whereas this election currently requires a simple majority. If Lisbon were into force, the President of the Commission would be elected by the EP on a proposal from the European Council, and the European Council should bare in mind the election’s outcomes and hold informal consultations with Parliament’s representatives[7]. After approval by the Parliament, the Council acting by a qualified majority vote, should formally nominate the President and the Commissioners.
As regards the number of Commissioners, the member states had agreed during the European Council on 11 and 12 december 2008 that "provided the Treaty of Lisbon enters into force, a decision would b taken, in accordance with the necessary legal procedures, to the effect that the Commission shall continue to include one national of each Member state"[8]. This agreement was intented to reassure some member states concerned that they might not have a national representing them at the Commission. It diverges from the Protocol on the enlargement of the European Union, annexed to the Treaty of Nice, according to which Commissioners shall be appointed on an equal rotation system. The agreement differs as well from the Lisbon Treaty, which stipulates that as off 2014, the number of Commissioners in the Commission’s College will equal two third of the number of member states (e.g. 18 Commissioners for 27 member states), and that Commissioners from all states shall rotate on an equal basis. The Council shall be entitled to change the number of Commissioners acting by unanimous vote. In other words, member states have no reason to worry as the COmmission is very likely to include one member per state... for an indefinite time.
[1] Prawo i Sprawiedliwość - Law and Justice.
[2] Občanská demokratická strana - Civic Democratic Party.
[3] 8-10 July under current G8 presidency-holder Italy.
[4] The Prime Minister of the Czech Republic and the Swedish Prime minister respectively.
[5] Information parue le jeudi 11 juin 2009.
[6] Based on article 214, paragraphe (2), (sub1), EC Treaty
[7] Communiqué de presse, Traité de Lisbonne : quels changements pour le Parlement ?, Service de presse, Direction des médias
Directeur - Porte-parole : Jaume DUCH GUILLOT, Reference No.: 20090506IPR55226- in english [http://www.europarl.europa.eu/elections2009/press_service/product.htm?ref=20090506IPR55226&secondRef=0&language=EN]
[8] Brussels European Council 18/19 June 2009, Presidency Conclusions.