Montag, 30. Juni 2014

Jean-Claude Juncker: The political Gravedigger of the EU

Representative of Europe's last days!
The EU leaders have chosen the worst of all options and confirmed the alcoholic Jean-Claude Juncker as the next President of the EU Commission. Against massive opposition from Britain’s David Cameron and Viktor Orban from Hungary, Juncker was pushed through against all the odds. For an organization that is close to collapse, an alcoholic and heavy smoker is an optimal choice to lead the EU in the abyss. Not all the EU leaders who have voted for this outdated politician are happy with him, such as the German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Originally, she was against him but yielded to the pressure of the Social Democrats that wanted to save the benefice of their candidate Martin Schulz. 

Not only the European Union but also the European Parliament is an undemocratic institution. The first resembles more the former Soviet Union, and the latter is elected undemocratically because the votes of the electoral votes do not have the same weight. The candidates of the European Parliament are elected according to 28 national electoral laws. Judging by democratic standards, the EU is a farce. Germany receives for its 82 million inhabitants, only 96 deputies, and smallest states such as Malta or Cyprus get six seats. Would the EU have anything to do with democracy, Luxembourg with its 530 000 inhabitants would not get any representative, but the country, which, under the Premiership of Jean-Claude Juncker was a haven for tax dodgers, provides the mighty President of the EU Commission! 

According to the Lisbon Treaty, the President of the EU Commission is chosen by the EU leaders who can take the election result for the European Parliament into account. The European Parliament must confirm their chosen candidate. The Lisbon Treaty does not know such a thing like “front-runners” for the European Election. In the last European election, the fractions of the European Parliament have unilaterally nominated top candidates and derived from the fact that the one, who gets the most votes, should be the next President of the EU Commission. 

The EU leaders, however, have underestimated this power struggle between the EU Parliament and the Council of EU leaders. They should have intervened against the nomination of top candidates immediately. Now, they are stuck with Juncker, who is a politician from the last century and “wrong for Europe”, like Cameron called it. Juncker has no democratic mandate because only 9.7 per cent of the European electorate voted for the centre-right party backing Juncker’s candidacy. He can only be elected with the votes of the socialist fraction which is dominated by Martin Schulz, the so-called other front-runner. By the way; except in Germany and Austria nobody knew these so-called top candidates! 

The last European Election swept a lot of representatives into the European Parliament who are skeptical of the EU. They promote a radical reform of the EU. Juncker, however, symbolizes stagnation and more of the same. That is why; he will be the perfect scapegoat for politicians like Nigel Farage from the right-wing United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) and all EU skeptics. With Juncker, “the last days of Europe” have come. Juncker is not only anti-German, he tried to counteract the policy of Chancellor Angela Merkel during the European monetary crisis, but also calls for the introduction of euro bonds and for the pooling of debt, which goes solely at the expense of the German taxpayer. Although Angela Merkel did not support Juncker’s candidacy at the first meeting of the EU leaders after the European election, she succumbed, however, to the pressure of her coalition partner, the Social Democratic Party, and the EU-friendly German media, which created a “shitstorm” because of her indifferent attitude towards Juncker. 

One does not need to be a prophet, but Juncker will have no joy at his job. Cameron has not been humiliated for nothing. That is also why; the Brits should leave the EU. The EU leaders should impose a program upon Juncker’s EU Commission that will be like a political straitjacket for him. Maybe he will just chuck the job after some time. To reform the EU, the EU leaders should have chosen the former president of the Czech Republic, Vaclav Claus, who has preserved a realistic look at the EU. With a democratic deficit and a third of EU skeptical MPs the EU will get into dire straits. On top of all this, the euro crisis is unresolved and may engulf even states like Italy or France in the abyss. In view of the inability to act in the Ukrainian crisis, the future of the EU is more uncertain than ever.

First published herehere and here.