Brussels, 02/10/2014 (Agence Europe) - Elzbieta Bienkowska gave a high flying performance at her hearing at the European Parliament on Thursday 2 October to defend her candidacy for the post of European commissioner for the internal market, industry, entrepreneurship and SMEs. She hopes to base her mandate on consolidating the internal market, reindustrialising Europe, protecting SMEs and defending European interests in the face of competitors - which resulted in the relevant committees approving her candidacy.
Questioned by MEPs from the European Parliament's internal market and consumer protection (IMCO) committee, and from its industry, research and energy (ITRE) committee, Bienkowska came across as very well prepared, but also self-willed and ambitious. She began her hearing by presenting a very detailed and full list of commitments, which ran over her allotted time and resulted in her saying that she was not accustomed to long speeches - but rather to action.
Controversy on health. Bienkowska's very wide-ranging portfolio is the result of a reorganisation of the tasks that were previously assigned to three commissioners - and this creates controversy because the pharmaceutical sector would now fall within Bienkowska's industry portfolio. She recognised that she did not have experience in this matter, but said she was sure that she would acquire it very quickly, and that her principles would be quality and patient safety. Asked by Dennis de Jong (GUE/NGL, the Netherlands) to renounce this part of her portfolio, Bienkowska maintained that better results would be obtained in her multi-sectoral portfolio than “if a single DG takes charge of it”. After her hearing, the S&D Group was ready to support her - but nevertheless insisted on medicines and medical devices being removed from her portfolio.
Internal market. As regards the internal market, Bienkowska will unsurprisingly follow her predecessors in trying to remove the remaining barriers that remain. However, more emphasis will be placed on the internal market for services, with “zero tolerance” when it comes to application of the services directive (report in mid-2015). More emphasis will also be placed on reforming recognition for professional skills. Bienkowska plans to do the same when it comes to the new rules on public procurement, and regrets that transactions are not internationalised enough. In addition, she pledged to monitor fraud and corruption on this, believing that national administrations must be strengthened to contribute to this. Generally, a review of the Single Market Act will take place under her mandate, she said. In addition, she gave assurances that she defended “reciprocity and mutual advantage” in international trade, especially in the context of the opening up of the Japanese and US markets.
Spotlight on SMEs. Small companies are certainly important to Bienkowska and she particularly regretted that SMEs suffer first and foremost from an excess of national and European laws. She committed to taking this, as well as the excess of red tape, into account in each of her legislative proposals. She will also start streamlining legislation in collaboration with her colleague Frans Timmermans, who has the responsibility for area, and she said that it was not just a legislative act here or there that she would abolish “but a good 10 or 15!” Bienkowska also intends to present a roadmap early on in her mandate to support SMEs, as she wants to facilitate their access to funding. On this, she spoke of the EIB, guarantees, participatory funding and PPP.
Reindustrialisation. Bienkowska also promised to spare no effort in boosting European industry and to keep a careful eye on strategic sectors such as automobiles (relaunch of CAR 2020 process), chemicals (authorisation procedure under REACH) and construction. As regards defence, she will focus on public procurement and rationalising expenditure. She also insisted on the fact that she did not see any contradictions between a competitive European industry and high European standards (including social standards) or respect for the environment. Questioned several times on the cost of energy for industry (and especially of shale gas or coal, a key energy in Poland), Bienkowska insisted on the fact that the energy mix was, above all, the responsibility of member states.
Bienkowksa shows her colours. On a more personal note, Bienkowska set the tone during her conclusion by sharing her personal conviction that in Europe “there is a lot of money which is badly spent and this must change”. She also warned that she was lobby-proof and “this kind of practice will not exist in my DG”, she stated.
Political groups convinced. At the end of the day, Bienkowska's performance met the demands of the committees concerned. The chair of the ITRE committee, Jerzy Buzek (EPP), who is Polish like Bienkowska, told EUROPE that the answers she gave were detailed and interesting, and that he had not “heard any serious disagreements, even within the political groups”. The chair of the IMCO committee, Vicky Ford (ECR, UK) also seemed pleased: “Elzbieta Bienkowska clearly said that she will not make any new proposals without careful consideration for the European economy and growth. What is more, if the Parliament thinks it's bad, she is ready to withdraw them. This is a very important point for me”. The Socialists announced their support for Bienkowska - although she was too vague on social aspects. The Socialist caveat on health also rings out as a warning. (MD)