SIX
OF THE BEST?
SIX
OF THE BEST?
If you wanted any proof that the European Union is a bureaucrat's (or Eurocrat's) heaven, then it surely lies in the fact that the Union has not one but six institutions that are all trying to run it. This page looks at each of those institutions, and the roles they play.
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There are twenty European Commissioners. The United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy and Spain each have two, and the smaller countries one each. Do not think that these Commissioners have any ties of national interests, as each has to swear an oath of allegiance to the Union before being sworn in. The Commission proposes new policies, drafts legislation and interprets the Treaties. Most governments treat it as a joke, and send as their representatives politicians who have signally failed in their own countries. For example, Britain's two current Commissioners are Chris Patten (lost his seat at Bath, then handed over Hong Kong to China), and Neil Kinnock (twice rejected by the British people and now making laws for them). The Commission also reduces unemployment by employing over 13,000 civil servants (1996). In 1999 all twenty Commissioners had to resign over mass fraud and corruption, although four were later re-appointed.
2. THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
The main problem with the Parliament is finding it. Once a month they meet for a five-day session in Strasbourg, but other times they just turn up to the parliamentary buildings in Brussels or Luxembourg for a few minutes so they can claim allowances about ten times the cost of their journeys and their meals. The best wheeze it to travel standard then claim for a first-class ticket; moves to make them actually produce receipts in 1999 were thrown out unanimously. This arrangement proves excellent for catering, airlines and road-haulage companies, who make millions out of Union taxpayers. The parliament did get some minor powers under the Maastricht Treaties to review laws and even veto the appointment of Commissioners, but very few people take it seriously. At the 1999 British Euro-election, turnout was a lowest-ever 26%.
3. THE COUNCIL OF MINISTERS
This is a meeting of all the foreign ministers of Europe, at which they can debate their own national interests and achieve nothing. Sometimes if an important issue is at stake, then other ministers (e.g. agriculture, health) will meet instead and achieve nothing. The Council has however been strengthened recently by the introduction of Qualified Majority Voting (QMV). This allows the other fourteen states to tell Britain what to do whether it likes it or not.
4. THE COURT OF AUDITORS
This Luxembourg-based organization is responsible for curbing fraud within the Union, and produces an annual report aimed at doing so. The fact that it failed to spot the 1999 crisis which forced all 20 Commissioners to resign tells you just how effective it is.
5. THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS
A sort of European parliament for local councillors. It's meant to share responsibility with the Parliament, but as it can never agree it serves no real purpose.
6. THE ECONOMIC & SOCIAL COMMITTEE
This organization has been functioning merrily since 1958, serving no apparent purpose whatsoever. Still, as it does no harm it is allowed to continue.
Finally, to clear up a couple of confusions, the E.U. has no direct links with either the European Court of Human Rights (although it can pass cases onto it) or the Eurovision Song Contest, even though both might seem to serve the sole purpose of bashing Britain. This is just a happy coincidence.
There you are. That's quite clear, isn't it?
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