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by yo yo Tue Mar 18, 2003 17:58

European Union collapse looming, says new book

The two authors, ANDREAS OLDAG, former EU correspondent in Brussels for the Süddeutsche Zeitung and HANS-MARTIN TILLACK, Stern’s correspondent in the EU capital, know the inner life of the European Union very well. (Photo: Argon)
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS – It is not only the German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder who has recently decided to go his own way in international politics. Two well-known German journalists are now going beyond the pale, as well.

In a new 400-page book named "Raumschiff Brüssel - Wie die Demokratie in Europa scheitert" (The Brussels Spaceship - How Democracy Fails in Europe), to be published on Tuesday, they paint a damaging insider portrait of the European Union.

The two authors, Andreas Oldag, a former Brussels correspondent for the Süddeutsche Zeitung and Hans-Martin Tillack, Stern’s current correspondent in the EU capital, know the inner life of the European Union very well. The book explains in detail, and with numerous examples, how the European institutions function – or more precisely how they do not function.

No person or institution is singled out for the failures and malfunctioning of the European Union. Mr Tillack and Mr Oldag find fault with the system as a whole.

Each topic is dealt with in a separate chapter. There include ones on the Commission, the Council, the Parliament, the EU summits, the Presidencies, the governments and the Convention on the Future of Europe. The book manages to give a real insight into the inner working of the different institutions and their complicated interaction in Brussels.

Tips for newcomers in Brussels
The book does not tell anything that is new for most bureaucrats and correspondents in the "space centre" Brussels. But much of the information might be interesting for people outside.

Before entering the EU, for example, it might be helpful for diplomats in the 10 new member states to know that representatives may only speak at council meetings if they are opposed to proposals. This was something the Austrians were unaware of in their first council meetings

Another useful tip for newcomers might be that the officials from the Northern part of Europe normally show up in office at eight in the morning to take their turn of the day and insist on leaving at five. The first Southerners are not likely to be seen before 9 in the morning and have no problems with staying late in the evening. So whether a decision is passed easily or not can depend on whether a meeting is scheduled for 8am or 6pm.

Prodi - a weak president
The Commission President Romano Prodi is portrayed as very weak. The book lists his notorious slip-ups such as when he called the Stability and Growth Pact stupid and when he implied to the Irish that it did not matter what they voted in the Nice Treaty as enlargement would go ahead anyway.

On the big-bang enlargement with a planned 10 new countries to enter the EU on 1 May 2004, the authors claim that everybody in Brussels knows the major risks – but they are not being discussed. The European Union is in major crisis and 25 members could bring about collapse, the book warns.

Lacking political opposition and a critical press
The book also tells of journalists in Brussels, who are not working entirely in the interest of their readers but also as heralds for the European idea.

It is not that the Brussels-based bureaucrats are any better or worse than their counterparts at home. The difference is that those in Brussels are not living under the constant pressure of having a political opposition or a critical press.

The fundamental failures in the structures of the European Union cause many absurdities but because the system is not scrutinised enough, these errors are not corrected.

"It is not those responsible for mismanagement, irregularities and self-service mentality who are punished in Brussels, but those who point to the problems," the book says.

Criticism and opposition may not be pleasant, but without it the European Union is at major risk.

Scandals and absurdities
"Raumschiff Brüssel" refers to the many scandals and ridiculous situations which have occurred over the last years in the EU - from the fall of the Santer Commission in 1999 to the disputed perks and payments systems for officials and politicians.

It is revealed how boring Commission meetings are and how the heads of states behave behind the well-guarded and opaque European summits.

What happened in the late night hours at the Nice summit? What is ANTICI - the famous system developed to communicate the latest disputes and decisions inside the summits to the officials at lower level who do not have a seat inside the meeting room.

What is the Concour - the system where the EU in 1998 alone examined 30,000 candidates hoping to become the highly-paid EU officials of the future, only 475 were employed in the end. How are they chosen?

The book sheds light on these and many other questions.

The empty cockpit of the space ship
Now, who is in charge of this huge system which has stripped national parliaments of much of their power and hidden them inside very complicated decision-making structures meaning that few understand what is really going on?

According to the book, 50 per cent of all legislation originates in Brussels. 360,000 journeys are made to the EU capital every year as part of working groups preparing for council decisions. In the Council, only 15-20% of decisions are taken by ministers, 80-85% of European legislation is agreed among civil servants.

The Commissioners are certainly not running the show. They are very dependent on their staff, according to the book.

In the first half of 2002, the Commissioners took only 79 decisions, while their staff pushed through 1090. While Commissioners are changed - generally every five years - the top administrators of the system are permanent. This is one of the system's major problems, say the authors.

The reforms carried out by UK Labour Commissioner, Neil Kinnock, to streamline the system are described as about as useful as moving around the chairs on the deck of Titanic.

Commission president Prodi regularly complains about the complicated administration procedures. Once, upon receiving a document with ten signatures, he is reported to have asked: "Ten signatures. And who of the ten has actually read the paper"?

MEPs bury their heads in the sand
The European Parliament is also described as a very weak institution, even though it is the only EU institution holding a democratic mandate.

When the Parliament could really make a difference, MEPs merely bury their heads in the sand. They accept year after year that accounting for the EU budget is not correct. The MEPs continue to put up with tax payers’ money being wasted on keeping three working places for the European Parliament (some 3200 boxes containing official documents have to be transported by lorries between Brussels and the Strasbourg every month).

The book does not provide a good explanation for the indulgent behaviour of the Parliament, the authors allege that the same political families setting the tone in the Parliament are seated as Commissioners and in the national governments.

But why paint such a bleak portrait of the European Union, which has achieved so many good things for European citizens and is so attractive to those not yet members of the club?

The authors say it is simply to make the European Union survive. "Europe is too important to be left with the career Europeans".

"RAUMSCHIFF BRÜSSELS - Wie die Demokratie in Europa scheitert", by Andreas Oldag, former EU correspondent in Brussels for the Sueddeutsche Zeitung and Hans-Martin Tillack, Stern’s correspondent in the EU capital. Published by Argon Verlag, 416 pages, hardcover 19,90 euro

Profile Andreas Oldag / Hans-Martin Tillack

Written by Lisbeth Kirk
Edited by Honor Mahony