Throughout the European Union, in accord with article 17 of the Treaty on European Union, proposals of legislation, implementation of key decisions, safeguarding the Union’s treaties and the day-to-day running of implementing EU policies and spending EU funds lay within the European Commission’s function. Therefore, citizens emerging from Member States must acknowledge that the European Commission is an influential EU institution with regards to the day-to-day living in the promotion and safeguarding of their rights and needs.
The Commission is composed of 28 Commissioners, one from each Member State including the President, which must be approved by the European Parliament. The Commissioners represent the interests of the EU as a whole and not of their respective Member State. Therefore, one should distinguish the roles of the different institutions whereas for instance the Council of the EU represents the governments, while the European Parliament represents the citizens with its members being directly elected by the citizens.
The role of the President of the European Commission is a very challenging role. The Commission is the only institution in the EU that can initiate formal proposals for legislation to be adopted by the European Parliament and the Council of the EU (national ministers). The Commission manages the EU's budget and allocates funding; Commission enforces EU law (together with the Court of Justice) and represents the EU internationally.
On June 27, the European Council agreed to propose Mr Jean-Claude Juncker to the European Parliament as candidate for President of the European Commission. In terms of the EU treaties, the President is proposed by the European Council (composed of the Heads of State or Government of the Member States), acting by a qualified majority after taking into account the elections to the European Parliament and after having held the appropriate consultations. The candidate must then be elected by the European Parliament by a majority of its component members. Mr Juncker has been elected for the next 5 years as from November 2014 by a majority of 422 votes from a total of 729 cast.
On July 15, Mr Juncker presented his Political Guidelines for the next European Commission to the European Parliament and elaborated further on his agenda which will focus on ten policy areas. Mr Juncker’s first priority will be to put policies that create growth and jobs at the centre of the policy agenda of the next Commission. The second policy area tackles the better use of the great opportunities offered by digital technologies. In doing so, Mr Juncker would seek to ensure that European citizens will be able to use their mobile phones across Europe without having to pay roaming charges. As a main tool for achieving this, Mr Juncker is aiming to create a digital single market for consumers meaning that information could be exchanged easily and swiftly across borders, helping citizens and businesses to fully benefit from the freedoms of the single market. The end result would be the creation of several new jobs and a vibrant knowledge-based society which would be ready to drive the innovation, entrepreneurship and dynamism of that society’s economy.
The third policy area to be tackled under Mr Juncker’s ‘Agenda for Jobs, Growth, Fairness and Democratic Change’ focuses on the reformation and reorganisation of Europe’s energy policy into a new European Energy Union. There arises the need to strengthen the share of renewable energies in Europe both due to climate change reasons and responsibilities, as well as for better affordable energy. Also, the importance of enhancing enery efficiency in relation to buildings going beyond the Europe 2020 target. The fourth policy area tackles a deeper and fairer internal market with a strengthened industrial base so that companies and industry succeed in the global economy. Initiatives to deepen the Economic and Monetary Union is the fifth policy area to ensure the stability of the single currency and to enhance the convergence of economic, fiscal and labour market policies between the Member States that share the single currency.
The sixth policy area included in Mr Juncker’s agenda will be negotiations regarding a reasonable and balanced trade agreement with the United States of America without sacrificing Europe’s standards for free trade. In fact, Mr Juncker highlighted the importance of enhanced transparency towards the citizens and the European Parliament. Furthermore, as the seventh policy area, a Union of shared values comes into perspective covering areas such as discrimination, data protection, combating cross-border crime and terrorism and judicial cooperation among EU Member States. Moreover, the Political Guidelines depict the intention of the new President entrusting a Commissioner with specific responsibility for the Charter of Fundamental Rights and the Rule of Law.
In his eighth policy area, Mr Juncker refers to the recent appalling events in the Mediterranean and is seeking a closer cooperation between Member States in a spirit of solidarity. This policy area also calls for a stronger common asylum policy and the promotion of a new European policy on legal migration. In addition, the need to tackle robustly the issue of irregular migration is outlined and therefore entrusting a Commissioner with special responsibility for Migration.
Finally, the last two policy areas focus on the need to have a stronger Europe by becoming a stronger global actor when it comes to foreign policy and stand united externally; and a Union of democratic change whereby the Commission will hold a special partnership with the European Parliament.
It is imperative for Mr. Juncker to continue developing what predecessors had carefully built over time and therefore continue observing and monitoring that the EU’s law is properly implemented, maintained and applied by all parties which relate to the EU. Only this will ensure an effective and productive continuation of such a key institution in partnership with the other Union’s institutions and the member states.
Kurt Formosa, Head – EU Policy & Legislation, MEUSAC