Strasbourg, 16/11/2005 (Agence Europe) - Addressing MEPs on Tuesday who criticised the European Commission's work programme for 2006 for not being condensed enough (others criticised gaps in certain areas), the European Commission President, Jose Manuel Barroso, said that there had also been criticisms from MEPs that 96 new pieces of legislation in 2006 was too much. Barroso welcomed the overall very favourable welcome (but far from unanimous, Ed.) for the European Commission's flagship Better Regulation. Criticisms came from across the house, particularly the EPP-ED, the far left and the far right. French UMP (EPP-ED) MEP Francoise Grossetete said the methodology of the Plan D (Democracy, Dialogue and Debate) looks interesting, but must not turn into Plan D for Disappointment. She expressed concern at future EU enlargement, warning Barroso that while it is unavoidable for the EU to support its closest neighbours' moves towards democracy, it must not give the impression of moving too fast. German ALDE MEP Silvana Koch-Mehrin backed Barroso's approach, but called on the EU to be capable of formulating a common dream. Danish Social Democrat Poul Nyrup Rasmussen spoke of the economy, saying the Member States at the spring 2006 European Council should send out the message that they were all going to invest the same way and coordinate investment. The former Danish pm told Barroso that wonderful Europe could do with more growth so 'let's make this strategy together'. Barroso pledged to work for a 'more common and integrated approach' to make the most of EU value-added, noting that 2006 would be the last year of the current Financial Perspectives. Barroso said the Commission would come forward in 2006 with a new, truly European, energy policy. Austrian Social Democrat Johannes Swoboda called for an alternative energy policy to be developed. Barroso reassured Belgian Green Pierre Jonckheer, concerned about the sustainable development strategy to be announced later this year by the European Commission, hoping it wouldn't be Daddy Barroso's poor relation (using the metaphor Barroso had used about the Lisbon Strategy, saying that he loved all three pillars the way he loved his three children). He also reassured the President of the UEN group, Irish MEP Brian Crowley, concerned that the WTO negotiations were calling for more and more sacrifices from European farmers. I can assure you that the EU will not allow itself to be put in the defensive in the Doha Round, said Barroso.
The sharpest criticisms came form the far right, with Belgian Vlaams Belang MEP Frank Vanhecke asking what tricks and lies the European Commission would find to say that Turkey can be integrated into the Common Agricultural Policy despite the warnings of former Commissioner Fischler. French 'Front National' MEP Jean-Claude Martinez commented sarcastically that France is burning and the Commission comes up with a programme of legislation. At the other extreme, Finnish GUE/NGL MEP Esko Seppanen asked whether by promising EUR 50 mil to France to deal with the riots, the Commission wanted to give France a gift of illegal aid to get it to accept the Financial Perspectives (see EUROPE 9067). Another member of the same group, Italian Roberto Musacchio, criticised the European Commission of ignoring the French and Dutch no votes on the Constitution, wanting to 'dissolve the people' (referring to a Berthold Brecht poem about East Germany in 1956: 'Would it not be easier for the government to dissolve the people and elect another?'), adding that the simplification the Commission keeps going on about really means not doing good things like REACH, but doing bad things like the Bolkestein Directive.