What Europe do we want for the COVID-19 post-crisis recovery and transformation? And what do we ask to the President of the European Commission, Ursula Von der Leyen?
At the beginning of her term in office, the President proposed a „geopolitical“ Commission. Well, the first ground for politics is the European Union itself. And already today there are many decisions on the table of Commissioners from which to judge their courage and ability. Yes, because Ursula Von der Leyen makes politically correct, sometimes courageous speeches (she even invoked Altiero Spinelli) and a few gaffes too many. But we are not interested in her quotes or her gaffes. We are interested in understanding the extent to which she wants to commit herself to European change.
How to begin? By exercising your powers, for example: you are spoilt for choice, there are many subjects.
If the Commission wants to be on the side of consumers (i.e. citizens), it should immediately start infringement proceedings against all countries that allow airlines to violate the right that we all have to be reimbursed for cancellations. It is not clear why we should pay twice: the first time by taxpayers, for the (right) public aid allowed by the Commission itself in favour of the airlines hit by the Covid 19 crisis; and the second time as consumers, being denied the reimbursement we are entitled to thanks to the EU.
If you want to be on the side of the rule of law (i.e. always of the citizens), you don’t have to wait for other abuses of power to be committed by Viktor Orban: the leader of the PPE preferred by Salvini & Meloni has already gone very far in exploiting the state of health emergency to compress the rule of law even more. And since we are there, we put the rule in the new EU budget so we freeze funds to governments that violate the rule of law and fundamental principles, starting with the obligation of solidarity.
If you like to „win easy“ and remember that all states (not just citizens) are equal before European law, act against Germany to punish the unacceptable act of arrogance of the German Constitutional Court, which would like to teach law to the European Court, dictate monetary policy to the ECB and destroy the foundation on which the whole EU stands: the primacy of EU law over national law. A deadly attack that could have „devastating consequences for the very survival of the Union,“ say many in Germany as well. Perhaps it would also help Angela Merkel to show whether she too has truly convinced herself of the need to strengthen European democracy and reform the treaties, abandoning her exasperating tactic of postponement and the status quo: which is the other answer to give to the German Court.
All new and good reasons to launch the Conference on the future of Europe: which was one of the conditions for electing Ursula Von der Leyen and on which we are waiting for very clear words from the President. After the crisis, the issue of sovereign Europe, continental strategic autonomy and transnational politics become even more important. With treaty reform, of course. Looking beyond the continent, a very clear reaction is urgently needed, first and foremost with regard to China, which „wants to destabilise the West“. These are not our words, they were used by the Secretary General of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg, whom Ursula Von der Leyen knows well, as a former Minister of Defense. His office is always in Brussels, a few kilometers from the Berlaymont, where the President (literally) lives. Chinese propaganda in Europe has reached unacceptable levels, in Italy even with the help of a few yellow vests in government, like Luigi Di Maio.
Last, but first in importance, the European Economic Plan financed by Recovery Bond on which Parliament today addresses another very, very explicit message to the Commission: a few accounting games „à la Juncker“, a lot of real money, fresh money, to reach 2000 billion new resources at the service of the relaunch and industrial, ecological and digital transformation of Europe. By asking the States for more money? Not at all: by making the digital and financial giants pay taxes like all citizens, and by imposing a levy on products from non-European countries that violate the Paris agreements on climate change, for example.
Much of this depends on the Council, that is, the governments. We know that. And at 27 it is increasingly difficult to achieve unanimity, we know that too, and that is why we want to eliminate all national vetoes by reforming the EU. But we expect a strong role from the Commission: to transform Europe, it has to take risks and open up political confrontations. Do not stick to the lowest common denominator. After all, dear President, you were elected for this. If you do so, you will still have all our support to do what the Union was born to do: not a coalition of states, but a union of people.
Kategorien: Union of European Federalists