Brussels, 15/11/2013 (Agence Europe) - On Friday 15 November, Dutch foreign minister Frans Timmermans published an article in the Financial Times calling on EU member states to restore balance: “The member states must restore the political balance in the EU, help it regain its focus and make the EU work for Europeans again” because the Commission and European Parliament are making increasing demands and demanding more money, but are unable to take the electorate with them. He says the question of balance has been raised by the crisis and the various decisions taken to deal with it.
Timmermans thinks that in a manifesto for the upcoming European elections and also the next five years, the EU 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 co-operation 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 Netherlands believes in a vigorous Europe with a Commission that is independent and robust (...). The reform agenda proposed here can be realised within the current treaties”, argued the minister. (SP/transl.fl)