Proposal for a European Government
I. The context
1. The institutional system of the European Union has evolved over decades. But courageous reforms to adapt the system to today’s challenges still need to be undertaken. For instance, the European Parliament gained more competences with recent Treaty revisions, but still cannot fully play its democratic role, as it lacks the power to control the political and the bureaucratic branches of the executive in the name of the citizens.
2. Core elements of the EU date back to times we have today left behind us. Just one example: the European Commission, a bureaucratic body without democratic legitimacy, still enjoys the far reaching powers it was granted at a time when it had to ensure the building of the European communities and the continuity of the integration process.
3. The time when the EU was “under construction”, however, is over. This can no longer serve as an excuse for not tackling the necessary democratisation of the European Union. The priority now is to invent a system which allows governing 500 million European citizens in all their diversity and this in a democratic, transparent and efficient manner. A democratically legitimised, trans-European executive, a European Government, is at the heart of this system.
4. In the current EU, legislative and executive functions are not clearly assigned. Bureaucracy and opacity reign over democratic and accountable political choice. The non-elected Commission not only acts as the executive and manages the EU budget, it also monopolises the right to initiate legislation. The Council, and most of all, the European Council, trade “national interests” against each other, and lack a trans- European perspective on trans-European policy challenges. Neither the EU citizens nor the elected Parliamentarians can exert democratic control over decision-making.
5. The big task now is to invent a European Government, the future executive of the EU system, which enjoys full democratic legitimacy among the European citizens and which is capable of efficient and transparent trans-European action, and which is fully accountable for all its activities. This European Government has its responsibilities to take in all matters which are common European goods, but has to respect and protect national, regional or local specificities.
6. The introduction of these new governance structures cannot occur in one major shake up. Newropeans sees this transition as a longer process. This present proposal has been developed to end the most urgent lack of democracy, but more steps remain to be taken to eventually give Europe a fully-fledged trans-European and democratic governmental model. This is why mechanisms to review the functioning of the EU regularly and democratically are needed.
II. Five guiding principles of the European Government
1. The European citizens are sovereign, and control EU decisions democratically. The link between the individual citizens and the European government should be as direct as possible to increase accountability. Citizens have to be able to sanction the government by votes.
2. The European Government is responsible to the European Parliament.
3. The nomination, the action and control of the European government have to be as transparent as possible to enable the citizens to understand the EU and its decisionmaking.
4. The EU system respects the multiplicity of European, national and regional identities, but should encourage trans-European debate, action and political choice. It is based on a clear division of competencies between the European and other levels of decisionmaking.
5. The system has to be stable and efficient.
III. The procedure to nominate the European government
Step 1: Election of the European Parliament every 5 years
Step 2: Election of the “Candidate Head of Government” by simple majority of all MEPs
Step 3: The “Candidate Head of Government” constitutes a list of 20 to 30 members of the government [1] of at least 20 national backgrounds. 50 % have to be members of the EP.
Step 4: This list has to be approved by simple majority of all members of the Congress. The Congress is made up of 50% members of the European Parliament and 50% members of national Parliaments or national governments, which means the Heads of State and
Government can of course be part of the Congress. [2]
Step 5: If the simple majority is not attained, the process restarts in step 3. If it fails three times, it restarts in step 2.
Explanatory remark: This is a transitional model which will develop in the future as the trans-European dimension gains weight. In the current situation, there is a need to anchor the national dimension in the EU governance structures, while trans-European democratic policy decisions should not be obstructructed. This is done through the way the Parliament is elected (one national, one trans-European list) and the 50% representation of national politicians (members of Parliament or Government) in the Congress. In the future, the Congress may no longer be necessary and its role can fully be taken on by the European Parliament. This is in line with our own basic assumption that Europeans are willing and able to act together democratically on a trans-European level.
IV. The role of the European government in the EU system [3]
1. The European Government is the executive responsible for European policy making. It takes over the current executive functions of the Council and the Commission.
2. The European Parliament represents all European citizens. It is the legislative branch and incorporates the legislative functions of both the current Parliament und the Council.
3. The Head of the European government provides orientation for the general policy directions and represents the European Union externally.
4. The European Government sets up the European budget, which the EP votes.
5. Newropeans will make detailed suggestions for the responsibilities of the European Government in the major policy fields when developing our political programme up to 2009. [4]
6. There is a clear division of competencies between the national and the European level. The European government cannot enlarge its own competencies vis-à-vis other national or regional levels. In only executes the tasks of a trans-European interest assigned to it. As it is impossible to assign the competencies once and for good, a democratic review process independent of the European executive and legislative evaluates the institutional set-up on a regular basis. The Congress is the authority of last resort in matters of competence disputes.
V. Procedure in times of crisis
1. There is a constructive vote of no confidence. The European government can only be removed from office if a simple majority of the Members of Congress elect a new list.
2. This process is started on initiative of the EP. 50 % of the member states (double majority in terms of weighted votes and number of states) can ask the PE to consider this procedure.