By Martin Banks - 14th December 2009
It has to be properly explained that the EU is not about bureaucrats like me or ministers
Jonathan Faull
A senior commission official says MEPs are unlikely to demand "the head" of a commissioner-designate "just for the sake of it" at the upcoming parliamentary hearings.
Commission veteran Jonathan Faull's comments come ahead of next month's parliamentary hearings on the each of the 27 would-be commissioners.
There is growing speculation that Bulgaria's nominee, Rumiana Jeleva, will be singled out by deputies for a particular grilling.
This is likely to focus on her recent election as a vice president of the European People's Party.
Some see this as a violation of the EU code of conduct which does not allow commissioners to run for political appointments.
Jeleva, a former MEP and currently her country's foreign minister, denies she has done anything wrong, as does Antonio Lopez, secretary general of the pan-European EPP, who said the two posts are "perfectly compatible."
Speaking in Brussels on Monday, Faull, recently appointed director general of the commission's internal market directorate, said he expects the hearings to be "rigorous" and for MEPs to ask "searching questions" of the commissioners-designate.
These include former French minister Michel Barner, the newly-appointed commissioner for the internal market and services whose selection has upset some, including those in the City of London who are said to be wary of his reputation for being against the "Anglo-Saxon" model of capitalism.
Faull, a Briton whose appointment was welcomed by the UK, said he had had exhaustive discussions to prepare Barnier for his hearing in mid-January and that he had not detected any sense that MEPs "want a commissioner-designate's head just for the sake of it."
Faull, outgoing DG in the commission's justice, freedom and security directorate, said it was worth remembering that the last time hearings were held five years ago, parliament make it clear it would reject Rocco Buttiglioni, the nominee for the justice DG.
It came after Buttiglioni, a conservative Roman Catholic from Italy, told parliament in his hearing that he thought that homosexuality was a sin.
The comments caused an outcry and the whole saga threatened to derail the new José Manuel Barroso-led executive.
Faull, who was addressing a debate on the impact of the Lisbon treaty is likely to have on EU institutions, said, "Last time, parliament asserted its authority but, this time, I hope it will do so in other areas as is its right under the Lisbon treaty."
Turning to other issues, Faull also admitted the commission was "partly at fault" for the general failure to effectively communicate the EU's message to the public.
He pointed out that the treaty gives both the European and national parliament greater participatory powers and that this should be communicated to voters.
"But," he cautioned, "It has to be properly explained that the EU is not about bureaucrats like me or ministers 'cooking up deals behind closed doors.'
"That is the popular perception and a bit of it is the commission's fault for over-selling itself.
"But this perception is all wrong and needs to be mended."
Faull, who first joined the commission in 1978 and is a former member of commission vice president Leon Brittain's cabinet, also described the new citizen's initiative as "fascinating."
Born out of the Lisbon treaty, this will give citizens the right to initiate EU legislation providing it is signed by at least one million people
Faull said, "In the age of the internet, getting the 1m signatures should not be a problem and I suspect there will be quite a few of these initiatives coming forward.
"At the same time, I fear many of them will be outside the EU competence with people telling us why we should have the death penalty, euthanasia and the right to bear arms.
"However, if it is an EU competence it will be difficult for the commission to resist the pressure from one million people to initiate a piece of legislation. It would have to have good reason not to."
Faull was the keynote speaker at a discussion, entitled, "One step closer to a new Europe?" organised by The Centre, the leading Brussels-based think tank.
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