Prodi stands alone in bid to boost Commission powers

Date: 31/05/01

By Simon Taylor

EUROPEAN Commission President Romano Prodi has launched a bid for a major strengthening of the executive's powers in economic and foreign policy.

In the first of a planned series of speeches setting out his vision on the future of Europe, Prodi called for the Commission to become the voice of the euro to the rest of the world "Only the Commission, acting within terms of reference laid down by the Council, can function as the counterpart of the Central Bank...any other solution, devised in order to solve the problem of the external representation of the euro, would not fit the bill," he said in a speech on Tuesday (29 May) at the Institute of Political Studies in Paris.

Prodi also argued that the EU High Representative for foreign policy should become a member of the Commission. "The High Representative...would be much more effective still if he were also a member of the European Commission. The whole area of foreign policy...would be simpler to manage, more consistent and more effective."

Prodi supported recent calls by Belgian and French politicians for an Union-wide tax to pay for the EU's budget. "In the run-up to enlargement the introduction of a European tax in place of the current system of national contributions that generate endless conflicts between member states ... could well be a sound solution."

He said the "Community method" of decision-making was superior to an intergovernmental approach, but his call to boost the Commission's role and more majority voting was a solitary voice.

Over the past two weeks the Union's most powerful states, France and Germany, have outlined visions which seek to emphasise the powers of national governments instead.

European Commission President Romano Prodi has launched a bid for a major strengthening of the executive's powers in economic and foreign policy. In the first of a planned series of speeches setting out his vision on the future of Europe, Prodi called for the Commission to become the voice of the euro to the rest of the world.