The new European Commission under Mr. Juncker which was announced on Wednesday has a great challenge ahead of it: to continue the passive and uninspired management of the Barroso era or to dare stir up the stagnant waters of Europe. The old continent is before a crossroad. Trapped by internal political conflicts, it managed the crisis of the past few years with erratic measures, delayed and insufficient decisions, with ideological obsessions that stifled growth, inflated unemployment and exacerbated the climate of euroscepticism.
Mr. Juncker, enhanced by his direct election by the European Parliament and the new Commissioner have an important opportunity to carry out reforms and wean off, at least partially, the desires and schemes of Europe’s powerful; to prove to the European people that they serve the greater interest and not isolated nations and financial interests; that they are agents of stability and progress.
The European Union needs to reclaim its lost democratic legitimization, that its institutions function and above all that they understand the financial and social problems. It is a fact that the preceding behind-the-scenes dealings for the allocation of the most important seats in the Commission and the Council, hint that the leaderships will carry on with the usual practices of bypassing institutions, postponing the most important decisions for the summits. Mr. Juncker and his group of Commissioners have a significant opportunity to demonstrate that they are not a conveyor belt of decisions and to establish their institutional role.
It is also important for our country that the Greek Commissioner assumed an important portfolio, with great interest for our greater region which has received a huge wave of migration in the past few decades. The great challenge is to promote policies that will not ignore the problem or burden the countries that receive migrants, but will rather highlight its importance. It is also noteworthy that a Greek technocrat has been appointed as the Commission’s chief spokesperson.
The vote of confidence that the European Parliament will have to give over the next weeks is the first opportunity for the new Commission to reveal its intentions and goals. However, beyond the declarations, Mr. Juncker and his team must demonstrate pretty soon that they are leaving the miserable Barroso era behind.
TO VIMA
