Juncker granted a gemütlich welcome

Photo: Pm

Jesting about turning dictator or female, the Luxembourgian conservative pocketed 423 yes and 209 no votes at European Parliament – a mandate to kick his commission into gear starting November 1^st. 

The only undecided Estonian MEP being Indrek Tarand, the others – Kaja Kallas, Tunne Kelam, Yana Toom and Marju Lauristin – were all for the commission and thus for Andrus Ansip as part of the package.

Mr Juncker came across rather at ease, strolling around before his opening address at the parliament. Getting a warm hug by future vice president Kristalina Georgieva, the politician smiled at being photographed by a tablet.

«At my age, you don’t start a career as dictator,» he announced to get it over with at the start of the speech, promising the commissioners aren’t expected to blindly follow.

Again, Mr Juncker extended his deepest apologies for the scarcity of ladies in the bunch: «Nine women out of 28 keeps being miserable,» he observed and went on to describe his battles with several states to get gutsy lady politicians sent to Brussels.

For Juncker, it was such an embarrassment for his native Luxembourg to send a man. «In short term, I’m not changing gender either, in the longer term... maybe,» the gentleman then stated, jokingly.

While Mr Juncker did touch upon the serious challenges facing the commission, the jesting seemed to stick.

«I think that gender-wise the commission president should still stay on as he is,» said Manfred Weber, party cadre from EPP.

Fringe frustration

Even so, representing the eurosceptic British conservatives, Syed Kamall went along with the idea uttered by Mr Juncker for Luxembourg to follow thru and send a girl next time. «We want Astrid Lulling back,» came the reference to the legendary MEP now 85 and a pensioner.

Mr Kamall lavished praise on some of Mr Juncker’s picks while remaining critical towards the rules-busting French soc dem Pierre Moscovici trusted with the budgets: «Mr Moscovici’s appointment is like having an alcoholic in charge of the bar.»

Left and right wingers were angrier. Neoklis Sylikiotis from Cyprus was sorry Mr Juncker was headed the neoliberal way, on account of Southern Europe.  

Nigel Farage of UK’s UKIP thought the new commission was a bunch of unknown faces – especially a guy called Lord Hill from his homeland who ought to be renamed Lord Who. «By the end of these five years, we’ll be gone from here!» vowed Mr Farage.

Marine Le Pen of France’s National Front felt it an abomination for Juncker’s commission to enter into office.  

Tunne Kelam, an IRL and thereby EPP Estonian, beamed while telling Postimees of what just transpired: Mr Juncker used to be thought of as a lacklustre bureaucrat and now the man proved to be a great actor before the full house.

«The way he related to the right extremists, the way he provoked the European Parliament president Martin Schulz – who had nodded off – by turning towards him and saying he’d now proceed to speak in the language of the World Cup winners …» praised Mr Kelam.

Excellent hearing

According to Latvian conservative Krišjānis Kariņš, the hearings system applied to commissioners by MEPs might be good in Latvian or Estonian parliaments while picking ministers. «An excellent system and a great filter,» he observed.

Mr Kariņš comes from the industry committee from whence Slovenia’s Alenka Bratušek was rejected. «... she was really very weak,» noted the Latvian MEP.

«She seemed not to understand the portfolio handed to her. She came out with lots of views totally against EU policies. Like supporting South Stream which is Russia’s project to boost EU’s energy dependence.»

After Ms Bratušek got rejected, Mr Juncker stripped Slovenia from energy union vice president seat and directed their new candidate Violeta Bulc to be transport commissioner. The Slovak Maroš Šefčovič, a success at hearing as transport commissioner, had to do it all over again – after five days – as energy union VP.  

«Mr Šefčovič... came back prepared excellently – considering he had five days – much better prepared than the original candidate,» enthused Mr Kariņš.

While several conservatives publicly and privately praised the Slovenian soc dem Ms Bulc as good at the hearing, they quietly confessed she’d have probably passed anyhow. Firstly, the European Parliament wants to pass supplementary budget, and for that it would be good for Team Juncker engaged starting November 1^st. Secondly, conservatives and soc dems do have the tacit agreement not to flunk each other’s candidates.

UE pros and cons

Estonia’s soc dem MEP Marju Lauristin underlined the threat of the anti-euro attitudes. To substantiate, he drew a word-picture of the grand hall.  

In the middle of the European Parliament, there sit the four large factions – soc dems, conservatives, liberals and greens. There, an intelligent and thorough debate, one with content, constantly goes on. To both fringes sit the extremists: to the left of soc dems, the extreme left; facing them are the extreme right and anti-euros.

«Between them [at the edges – edit], there’s a kind of a fraternity. Heckling everything, being against everything, ridiculing everything that goes on,» lamented Ms Lauristin. «It’s not the left-right divide; it’s the EU pro and con divide now.»

«The so-called grand coalition cannot be likened to ours domestically, with a coalition treaty and a joint governing framework,» continued Ms Lauristin.

«Rather, it is practically supporting one another so as to get the EU out of the deadlock, to achieve a functioning commission, to make Europe a place where people want to invest and to live. I’d say it’s the we-worry-about-Europe coalition,» she said.

Talking about the three «trouble commissioners» – EPP’s Hungarian Tibor Navracsics and Spaniard Miguel Arias Cañete, and soc dems’ Pierre Moscovici – Ms Lauristin thought it wise to view each separately. The Hungarian, in her words, was anti euro and just had to be swallowed as a member state can’t be robbed of a commissioner altogether and a replacement may have been worse. «At least he was stripped of citizenship issues,» she said.

Spain’s Cañete is corrupt as related to oil industry, and with Mr Moscovici it is rather the worldview issue, thinks Ms Lauristin.

Mr Kelam begs to more or less differ. In his opinion, the reprimands towards Navracsicsi and Cañete were the domestic kind rather. «Sadly, it is the lefties and liberals who try to drag them into the European Parliament, especially as they lose out at home – trying to compensate,» said Mr Kelam.

It’s the collective ...

Regarding Mr Moscovici, Mr Kelam consented to the alcoholic bartender parallel. «I agree as he has not proven fit seeing the condition that France is in,» said the Estonian MEP. «It is very serious with France – with reforms and with EU agreed rules. I agree, Mr Moscovici is among the weakest in the commission right now.»

«But he’s part of the whole. The commission is a collective organ, not a place where single commissioners may carry out their philosophy. For that, there’s Juncker and his VPs who can call him to order if needed,» added Mr Kelam. «Let’s hope for the best.»

The new whole is obviously okay with Ms Lauristin. «The core of the new commission is Nordic and Baltic Sea representatives, and then the first VP from Holland, Frans Timmermans. Actually, the core is soc liberal,» related the lady.

«Meaning, with Juncker a serious turn will come, in Europe: the entire policy will be more towards the people,» feels the soc dem MEP.

As if to boost the optimism in Ms Lauristin, Mr Junker reiterated plans to pay more attention to the social side of life: «I want the EU to have AAA social rating, it’s exactly as important as the financial AAA rating.»