Brussels big enough for three presidents

Date: 17/10/02

Gerhard Schröder's U-turn on plans for an elected EU president is not necessarily bad news for the Commission.

GERMAN Chancellor Gerhard Schröder's decision to back proposals for an elected EU president has sparked passionate comment in Brussels and EU capitals as the debate over who should hold power in the Union reaches a climax.

His new position has been portrayed as a boost for Franco-British plans to concentrate power in the hands of the Council and a major blow for the European Commission.

But the Chancellor's backing for an EU president is conditional on creating a stronger Commission, suggesting there is room for a compromise to bridge the divide between German-style federalism and the Anglo-French vision of a community built around strong nation states.

After initially opposing the idea, Schröder told Commission President Romano Prodi over dinner last week that he was now ready to accept an EU president, so long as he receives assurances that the holder of this role would not undermine the Commission and its leader.

In short, he believes Brussels is big enough for two presidents (or three, taking the Parliament's into account).

Schröder's about-face was seen by federalists as caving in to pressure from the other large EU countries to grant more power to the heads of state, who would elect the president and to whom he would report, and a blow to the small member states which rely on the Commission to defend their interests.

Nevertheless, Schröder's fudge does have the merit of keeping the present balance of power between the EU institutions - and perhaps supporters of more powers for the Commission can only win the argument by paying the price of acceptance of an EU president.

Nine months of debate in the Convention, and outside, suggest that federalists and intergovernmentalists can come to a common position for reforming the Union, if the balance of power between the EU institutions is preserved.

Therefore, a stronger Commission is likely to be flanked by a more stable EU president and a mightier European Parliament.

Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, chairman of the Convention, confirms this view.

He recently told members of the Parliament that reforms have to be based on reshuffling and reinforcing the three institutions in parallel.

Therefore, it can be seen that Schröder has not necessarily defected to the intergovernmental camp by giving his blessing to an EU president.

The present six-month rotating EU presidency has been roundly condemned for failing to deliver consistency and efficiency. If accompanied by a stronger Commission and Parliament, an EU president with a modest job description may be acceptable to the majority of the Convention. A 'Solana plus', representing the Union in the world, and picking up the phone when George Bush calls Europe, could be swallowed by both Germany and the small states.

But a strong EU president using the European Commission as his secretariat is unlikely to see the light of day.

Article discusses German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder's decision to back proposals for an elected EU president.