The Swedish MEP Åsa Westlund writes about whodoicall.eu on her blog.
Here is an English translation of her Swedish entry:
While there in Sweden is a debate about different negative aspects (real or imaginary) of the Lisbon Treaty my good friend Jon Worth has started a campaign called “Whodoicall.eu”.
They write: Henry Kissinger famously asked “Who do I call if I want to call Europe?” We think it’s time for an answer.
Their answer is that the European Council President (with the Heads of State and Government) and the Commission President should be the same person.
The idea with the Lisbon Treaty is that the chair of the European Council (which is sometimes refered to as the EU President) should be elected by the Heads of State and Government while the Commission President should be suggested by the Heads of State and Government but have democratic legitimacy by being approved by the directly elected European Parliament. If it would be the same person he/she would need both support from the Heads of State and Government and the European Parliament and in that have more democratic legitimacy in the whole EU. Someone that Kissinger could well have called.
The thought is utopian, but the question about who should lead the EU is not that simple. With the Lisbon Treaty, the European Parliament gets equal power with the Council in many areas.
I think it is good if more decisions are moved from the diplomats in closed rooms to the Parliament’s open plenary where the debate can be open to media and the public. Politics behind closed doors rarely gives good results.
There is a balance between efficient decision-making and the fact that democracy and debate have to take its time. The Lisbon Treaty is one step forward, but the debate about the democratic legitimacy should continue.
Photo: European Parliament