Die EU braucht ein Zweikammernparlament und eine echte europäische Regierung, die von einem ernannten Vorsitzenden geleitet wird. Dies schreibt Jo Leinen – der Vorsitzende des Parlamentssausschusses für Konstitutionelle Fragen – in einem Artikel von Juli 2007 für Europe’s World.
Claiming that the EU’s institutions have „always seemed distant“ and lamenting the absence of a „European public sphere“, Leinen believes that it is hardly surprising that citizens have difficulty understanding which decisions are taken by the EU, and why. Increasingly, this poses a problem for the legitimacy of decisions, now that up to 60% of legislation with a national or regional impact is decided at EU level, he adds.
Leinen argues that an EU president – legitimised by being directly elected by Europe’s citizens – would help the public to identify much more closely with the EU. He believes that the current system – involving 27 heads of state in the Council represented by a rotating president, plus presidents of the Commission and Parliament – leaves it unclear as to who speaks for the EU as a whole. The EU currently has „too many“ presidents, and they are all weak in terms of competence, the author suggests.
Moreover, he adds, the Commission, Parliament, Council, and Councils of Ministers all have divergent interests and opinions and thus often speak in their own or a particular member state’s name rather than that of the entire Union, confounding the problem.
Meanwhile, Leinen believes that the present structures of the EU do not allow the Council president to be a strong leader. Council decisions taken by unanimity force the president to be more of a moderator and lead to weak compromises, thus preventing the Union from taking bold steps forward, he alleges.
Leinen also calls for the parliamentary system to be strengthened, with the Parliament and the Commission playing leading roles as legislator and government respectively. This would require the development of a two-chamber parliament consisting of today’s Parliament and the Council of Ministers, as well as the transformation of the Commission into a „true government.“ Making the Commission’s work more accountable to Parliament and strengthening its President would improve its standing as the Union’s government, he continues.
Leinen proposes that the new Commission president be directly elected by the citizens, or alternatively the Parliament could put forward candidates and then elect the President. Parliament should be given the right to dismiss not just the whole Commission but also individual commissioners, he adds.
Leinen concludes that the EU institutions should be reformed by creating a two-chamber parliament and a real European government. Conversely, directly electing a President of the Council is not desirable, he insists, as it would strengthen the inter-governmental structure of the Union and constitute a step in the direction of a less democratic and less transparent EU.