The need for greater focus and balance in EU governance is pressing, writes the Dutch foreign minister in an article for the FT.
Despite a strong response to the financial and economic crisis, Europe’s governance remains unfocused and unbalanced. The Netherlands believes in a vigorous Europe with a Commission that is independent and robust. We believe, as José Manuel Barroso, the president of the European Commission, said: “The EU needs to be big on big things and smaller on smaller things” with a view to generating growth and jobs.
The Member States must restore the political balance in the EU, help it regain its focus and make the EU work for Europeans again. That is why, first, the Netherlands proposes to negotiate a European Governance Manifesto for the next five years with the Member States, the incoming Commission and Parliament. It should lay down what Europe needs to focus on, and also what Europe needs to leave to the states. This will mean more Europe in some areas, and less in others.
Second, the EU needs to follow the logic of the treaty and create a smaller, reformed commission with a president and vice-presidents heading a limited number of policy clusters. The vice-presidents would have the sole authority to initiate legislation. This would restore the Commission’s focus and strengthen its clout.
Finally, we would encourage national parliaments to bring Europe back home where it belongs and strengthen their cooperation with each other and the European parliament. They should have the right to summon commissioners to capitals. And if one-third of national parliaments raise subsidiarity objections to a legislative proposal (the yellow card procedure), the Commission should not just reconsider, it should use its discretion to take the disputed proposal off the table, turning the yellow card into a red.
The reform agenda proposed here can be realised within the current treaties. We should not get bogged down in a lengthy and cumbersome process of treaty change that only detracts from our main objective: to lead Europe out of the crisis now.
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