Bill Newton Dunn on how the Lisbon Treaty will affect the EP

3.59.00pm GMT Thu 26th Nov 2009

When the Lisbon Treaty comes into effect on the 1st December it will improve the way the EU of 27 operates as follows -

a. More democratic control as the European Parliament, representing the people, takes a full half-share control of all legislation. See http://euobserver.com/9/29036/?rk=1 And the other chamber, the Council, representing the 27 governments, must hold its meetings in public from now on and taking more votes by majority voting.

b. There will be no "President of Europe", a concept invented by the media and by euro-sceptics to alarm the public and to sell newspapers. The Council will have a president for two and a half years who will provide much-needed continuity (against the habit of rotating the presidency every six months around the countries).

c. The way the Council President, and the "Foreign Minister" were chosen reveals how continental politics works (which is not understood by those used to a winner-takes-all system as in the UK). The Christian-Democrats (CDs) got first pick because they are the largest party across the EU. They wanted someone from a small state who would not overshadow Merkel or Sarkosy - hence the Belgian Van Rompuy. They now also have the current presidents of the Parliament (Polish Busek) and of the Commission (Portuguese Barroso). Second in line were the Socialists who could choose the Foreign Minister: they conferred amongst themselves and compromised on Cathy Ashton from the UK. The Liberals, the third party across Europe, will get a higher than justified number of the 27 new Commissioners. The euro-sceptic parties get nothing. The UK Conservatives, having quit their alliance with the CDs, have excluded themselves from any EU power for many years to come until they come to their senses.

d. The 27 new Commissioners are now being nominated, one from each member state. Their portfolios will be allocated to them by Barroso. Between 11 and 19 January, each will be subjected to a public live on-the-stand three-hour interrogation before a European Parliament committee. Then the full parliament will, or not, vote each of them into office until 2014 (but can cause any of them to be dismissed later if they lose the confidence of a majority of MEPs).

e. The EU's External Action Service will be developed. It means EU representative offices throughout the world. This will, eventually, save a lot of money for taxpayers, because the current arrangement of 27 separate European embassies in every world capital but speaking with only one voice (that of the current Council presidency) is wasteful.

Bill Newton Dunn

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