Liikanen adopts tough approach

Date: 05/10/1995

By Rory Watson

THE European Commission is strengthening its internal disciplinary proceedings as part of a wider campaign to improve internal management and increase public confidence in the institution. The initiative is being led by Personnel Commissioner Erkki Liikanen.

“When this Commission came to office there was a strong feeling we had to improve the management of the house. This is not just a technical, but a highly political issue. The credibility of the Commission in the eyes of public opinion lies in its ability to run programmes and give high value for money,” he explains.

Senior officials are already considering ways of beefing up current disciplinary practices and plan to launch a broad discussion in the institution early next year on improving internal administration.

Coincidentally, the new approach is being developed as a senior monetary policy official, Bernard Connolly, began his suspension after the unauthorised publication of a highly critical book on economic and monetary union and controversy arose over payments to Environment Commissioner Ritt Bjerregaard for articles written in a Danish newspaper.

The Commission's decision to suspend Connolly came just six days before he was due to return to his post as head of the unit responsible for economic and monetary affairs after a four-month sabbatical.

Connolly insists he does not believe he has committed any offence and in a statement released last week said: “The Commission's action against me raises important questions of public interest. It is clear that the public interest will be best served if, at some point, these questions are debated in court.”

Liikanen is at pains to point out that the Commission itself does not take sides in such disputes and disciplinary proceedings are a matter for the administration. But it is clear that, like many in the institution, he personally feels that the book reflects unfairly on the organisation and its staff.

“Look at its title The Rotten Heart of Europe and it talks about the Commission. You feel that your organisation has a rotten heart. It totally rejects its aims and values and shows no confidence in its decisions and the way these are prepared. It affects the morale of the house. How can member states and the European Parliament rely on us if the rules are not respected?” Liikanen asks.

The move to tighten up internal disciplinary procedures follows claims that current methods are too lengthy and that the institution is reluctant to impose heavy penalties, including dismissal, for serious offences.

The atmosphere is changing gradually, but slowly. According to one senior official: “It is just not credible for us to operate like an OJ Simpson trial where accusations are made and it takes a year for them to be heard.”

Liikanen has already introduced internal financial management reforms and now wants to press for improvements in personnel policy.

He explains: “I come from a Nordic tradition where there is transparency and openness in administration. Procedures here are very long and complicated. When there is a clear case we must move fast. For the system to work we must have motivation and discipline.”

But officials will also need to be completely convinced that their rights to a proper defence are not undermined.

The latest figures on the Commission's disciplinary proceedings reveal that 18 cases were dealt with in 1993 involving six A grade officials, 2 Bs, 7 Cs and 3 Ds. The alleged offences involved assault on a colleague (2), forgery (8), incompetence (1), fraud in recruitment competitions (4), sexual harassment (1), unlawful outside activities (1) and corruption (1).

At the end of procedures involving an administrative inquiry, a disciplinary board and action by the Commission itself or by the director-general for personnel, four officials were dismissed, two were reprimanded, another down-graded and a fourth had promotion suspended, all for forgery. Warning letters were sent to three and no action was taken in six cases.