Brussels, 25/04/2014 (Agence Europe) - Belgian Liberal MEP Guy Verhofstadt still feels he can win a majority at the European Parliament and thus become the next president of the European Commission, although the ALDE Group is lagging in the polls.
The third challenger in the race unveiled his hand on Friday 25 April, unveiling what he thinks the Commission's programme for the next five years should be. In order to boost growth in Europe, he calls for a new wave of European integration (financial, energy and digital) in order to shake off the “old recipes” recommended by the two leading candidates, Socialist Martin Schulz (of Germany) and Conservative Jean-Claude Juncker (of Luxembourg). Verhofstadt's trump cards are Future Bonds, a European Energy and Digital Community, worker mobility and a strong European Commission.
Can-do attitude. The Liberal candidate feels it is perfectly possible for him to replace José Manuel Barroso after the 25 May elections. He says he has a chance, but the ALDE will need to win more seats at the European Parliament. He sweeps aside the idea of fighting for the job of president of the European Parliament, which some commentators say he is more likely to get. Verhofstadt says that fellow Belgian Herman Van Rompuy, the head of the European Council, is wrong in his forecasts that the next president of the Commission will be decided by heads of state behind closed doors (see EUROPE 11064). He is very clear that the next president of the Commission must be chosen from among the announced candidates and that if there is no majority at the European Parliament, then there will be no one to head the Commission.
“Integration” is the favoured slogan. Behind the cryptically entitled election programme “Using the European dividend to get out of the crisis” is an action plan focussing on European integration and the strengthening of the single market on the grounds that this has boosted growth since it was created in the 1990s. The Liberal candidate says that Europe's woes are mainly due to the explosion of public debt in the member states. He argues that the Socialists want to get into even more debt in order to deal with the crisis and the Conservatives say that the crisis is over and there is no need for new reforms. Verhofstadt said his plan was clear and different - a decisive step is needed in the direction of European integration as “fuel for recovery” because too much debt and too little integration is a bad combination. In order to reassure the British, he says he wants more common policies and less regulation.
Fixing the economy. The first arm of the liberal programme, fixing the economy, focuses on integration. Verhofstadt wants to speed up the introduction of banking union to restore bank lending to the real economy and unify the money markets to ensure cash can be obtained barrier-free throughout the European Union. He is also planning to launch Future Bonds for large-scale financing of infrastructure by pension funds, for example (not to be confused with compulsory eurobonds, which he describes as a Loch Ness Monster). He recommends the creating of a European energy community, comprising energy grids and a single market in energy. It is, of course, important to put an end to the EU's reliance on imports and make the continent more competitive against the US. Likewise for the digital market, which is still too national for his liking. Verhofstadt also wants greater worker mobility (currently only 2.5% compared with 10% in the United States), which could also solve the problem of unemployment because four million jobs are lying vacant in Europe at the moment. He suggests a strategy for promoting mobility and setting up a €2 billion fund to provide a six-month unemployment benefit for job-seekers of the rate they would be entitled to in their country of origin (which would get round any “welfare tourism” issues). He does not deal specifically with youth unemployment, although this is a big issue for his opponents.
Fixing the economy includes a new model of economic governance. Verhofstadt promises to fight tooth and nail against the contractual arrangements for countries recommended by the Commission, preferring to encourage convergence instead. In this connection, he comments that letting Brussels decide is the best way to kill Europe.
Legal immigration. The special section of his programme on fundamental rights suggests introducing protection of privacy that is worthy of its name in the twentieth century, with the right of removal from the internet and automatic confidentiality by default. Verhofstadt promises a common European immigration policy with a legal immigration model like those of Canada and Australia, which he says would be the best way to tackle illegal immigration and human trafficking.
A strong European Commission and a single location for the European Parliament headquarters. For the European institutions, Verhofstadt wants the Commission to make full use of its right of initiative and suggests that the 28 Commissioners are grouped in four clusters (economy/finance - energy/climate/environment - fundamental rights - foreign affairs). He wants a decision to be taken in the next five years about the European Parliament having its headquarters in just one country. (MD)