Bolkestein ‘neglecting duties during election campaign’

Date: 02/05/02

By Martin Banks

EU COMMISSIONER Frits Bolkestein has been accused of neglecting his duties while campaigning in the forthcoming Dutch general election.

The claim follows a row in the wake of the internal market chief's appearance before the European Parliament's legal affairs committee.

There, he was asked by French MEP Janelly Fourtou when the Commission would come forward with a directive to combat counterfeiting and piracy.

Bolkestein apparently told members there was 'no need' for such a directive as counterfeiting and piracy is already illegal and should simply be prosecuted.

The Commissioner appeared unaware that his own directorate-general is due to present a proposal for a directive on the subject later this year.

Committee member Michiel van Hulten said: 'I find it unbelievable that the Commissioner was unaware of directives in the making in his own DG. Maybe this was because he was on Dutch television a week ago commenting on the Dutch government's resignation while he should have been doing his homework.'

Van Hulten, a Dutch Socialist, added: 'In fact, he did not know what he was talking about on a number of points.

'He also caused some confusion among several members of the committee about forthcoming conferences being held in Spain on intellectual property matters.

'Perhaps this is due to the fact that he is now actively campaigning in the Dutch general election for the Liberal party, VVD, and spending too much time away from his DG.'

Fourtou, a Christian Democrat, said: 'The day after the committee meeting I received a reply from the Parliamentary service saying Bolkestein had made a mistake in replying to my question. I was obviously very surprised that he could make such an error.'

Bolkestein's spokesman Jonathan Todd dismissed the MEPs' criticism as 'ludicrous'.

He added: 'To suggest that he has been actively involved in the Dutch election is grossly misleading. After all, he's made just one TV appearance.

'It is also ludicrous to attack him for failing to defend his portfolio. Of all the commissioners, he has the best record of appearing before the European Parliament and its committees.'

Meanwhile, van Hulten has warned that the large number of elections in the EU this year could hit the smooth running of Parliament.

He said: 'The fear is that MEPs will be away campaigning a lot of the time.

'If this causes increased absenteeism from the Parliament, then that could adversely affect both the committee system and plenary meetings.

'Of course, there's nothing wrong with deputies - and commissioners - getting involved in national politics as long as it's not at the expense of their duty to the European Parliament.'

• General elections are being held in five EU countries this year.

They are: Netherlands (15 May); Ireland (17 May); France (9 and 16 June); Sweden (15 September) and Germany (22 September).

European Commissioner Frits Bolkestein has been accused of neglecting his duties while campaigning in the forthcoming Dutch general election.