Brussels, 30/07/2015 (Agence Europe) - The German finance minister, Wolfgang Schäuble, would like to see a number of responsibilities taken away from the European Commission, the newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ), reported on Thursday 30 July. The Commission has declined to comment, particularly as it is not aware of whether the article “reflects what Mr Schäuble is thinking”.
The German newspaper reports that Schäuble called for a discussion on how the Commission can continue in its role as guardian of the treaties when it comes to the management of the internal market and competition law, in light of its growing role of 'European government', at the recent Ecofin Council (on 14 July). Schäuble is reported to have gone on to propose the creation of an 'independent political administration' to limit the competences of the Commission in these areas. The FAZ suggests that the Dutch finance minister, Jeroen Dijsselbloem, intends to make this a priority of the Dutch Presidency of the Council, which starts on 1 January 2016. Berlin is also believed to be counting on support from London.
The President of the Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, always follows Schäuble's ideas with “a great deal of friendly interest”, Commission spokesperson Mina Andreeva said.
According to the FAZ, Schäuble believes that Juncker overstepped the Commission's mission in negotiations on eurozone aid to Greece. Juncker has been very much involved, stepping up bilateral contact with his European political leaders, particularly the Greek Prime Minister, Alexis Tsipras. It was also his cabinet which came up with the idea of bridge financing under the European Financial Stabilisation Mechanism (EFSM), the fund managed by the Commission on behalf of the 28 member states, when the eurozone harboured considerable misgivings about the very principle of bridge financing. Juncker personally telephoned the British Prime Minister, David Cameron, who was opposed to use being made of this fund (see EUROPE 11360).
Juncker has also always made an open secret of his support for a political Commission. On this subject, Andreeva stressed that there is now a new institutional reality, due to the direct link between European elections and the choice and appointment of the President of the Commission. “The Commission is more political, but that doesn't mean that we're partisan. That means we are now much aware of what is happening on the ground and what the citizens expect of us”, she explained.
According to the FAZ, Schäuble has no problem with the idea of the Commission increasing its economic governance powers. In March 2014, Schäuble said that he was in favour of a European Commissioner with a power of veto over draft national budgets (see EUROPE 11048). (Elodie Lamer)