Strasbourg, 13/03/2013 (Agence Europe) - Will we be voting for the president of the European Commission in 2014? It's an idea that is gaining credence. European Commissioner for Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship Viviane Reding and European Commissioner for Inter-institutional Relations and Administration Maros Sefcovic are taking the lead and laying their cards on the table ahead of the next European elections - which are due to take place at the end of May 2014. On Tuesday 12 March, Reding and Sefcovic recommended that the status of the European political parties be clarified, that the European political parties nominate their candidate for Commission president, and that European citizens be called to the polls the same day everywhere in the European Union.
The Commission's starting point is a pertinent observation - turnout in the European elections is below 50%. However, the next European elections in 2014 will take place according to the new principles laid out in the Lisbon Treaty - which confers more power on the European Parliament. Reding and Sefcovic want to prepare the ground and formulate a series of recommendations. Firstly, the national political parties should clearly display their political affiliation at the European level. Secondly, the European parties - like the national parties - should appoint their leader who, in the event of victory, would take on the presidency of the Commission. Lastly, a single date should be set for holding the European elections and it is up to the member states to stick to it.
“This is not a European legislation”, Reding said. In her opinion, “there must be a discussion between the Parliament and the Council, because clarifications after the elections could be damaging”. Sefcovic hoped that an agreement could be made “before the summer” between the European institutions with regard to the status of the European political parties - on the basis of the proposal for a regulation that has been under discussion since 2012 (see EUROPE 10687). These new recommendations should contribute to “really rekindling electors' interest for the European elections”, Sefcovic said. He added: “This will of course be a good thing, which will encourage truly pan-European debates and will strengthen European democracy in general.” He aired the idea of a real single European electoral campaign instead of 27 fragmented national campaigns. In Reding's view, a pan-European campaign would enable local issues to be eliminated. “I'm not saying that this is bad, but issues that are only local are not enough”. “Some have dreamed about transnational lists. One day we will have them. Others have dreamed that one day we can elect the president of the Commission by popular vote. One day this will come. We are at an intermediary step”, Reding stated.
For support for their recommendations, Reding and Sefcovic need look no further than a Eurobarometer poll published the same day - according to which 73% of European citizens would be willing to vote if they were better informed about the political affiliations of the European candidates. The same goes for 62% of the people polled if the candidate for the Commission president was appointed by the European parties and if polling took place on just one day. (MD/transl.fl)