Ten years of Grouper
(BRUSSELS2) Lucid, intelligent for himself, an excellent barometer of the temperature of heads of state, José-Manuel (Barroso) succeeded at the head of the European Commission, for almost ten years, in imposing his law and his men .
Control the cabinets
All the good old recipes learned in his youth are useful. Starting with the control of information. In each commissioner's cabinet, he placed his men and women in this way. Mission: report directly to the president. Or even steer the commissioner's policy in a direction that suits him more. The spokesperson's service reports directly to him. And his chief of staff is the former head of the spokesperson's service. Not just any commissioner can pass on information. In the press room, each day, one of his henchmen carefully monitors whether there is any slippage.
Not a bold
Not quick to take the initiative, he prefers to be sure that this initiative corresponds to the idea of the moment. As he indicated at the outset, the Commission is “at the service of the States” or the “secretariat of the Member States”. In this, he shattered the European Commission's capacity for initiative and the enthusiasm of civil servants who, even like Prodi, felt they were at the heart of the system. “Strong with the weak, weak with the strong” says Martin Schulz, the current President of the European Parliament.
Little fan of the Franco-German couple
The Europe he defends is not automatically the one desired or hoped for in Paris or Berlin, which happily despise him. A contempt that makes them feel good Barroso who is not a great fan of the Franco-German couple. He is more attached to the diversity of States. His mentor was Dusan Sidjanski, with whom he taught political science. And his master's axiom is that each country, " whether large, small or medium, have a role". Many capitals of small and medium-sized countries are grateful to him for relaying or defending their interests against the “big ones”. From time to time, he likes to remind the Greats of their duties, especially when they are socialists. If he salutes the victory of François Hollande on May 7, 2012, it is immediately to remind us that " France has a significant lack of competitiveness. Among the large countries, it is the country that has lost the most in competitiveness. “he likes to underline in front of the press.
fundamentally liberal
Knowing how to deliver to everyone the speech that awaits it, it has been baptized the "grouper", the name of this fish which changes color according to the color of the ocean floor. But if he adapts his speech, he does not really change his policy. A defender of deregulation, he has made it his hobbyhorse by adopting a communication – called “red tape” – to remove certain regulations or even limit them. The financial crisis takes him by surprise. The Commission, which was in the process of deregulating the banking market, must change its tune. A follower of “free trade” and of “globalization” which can “generate growth”, he regularly underlines how much European “competitiveness” and the “flexibility of the labor market” must be improved. The Services directive is its darling. “Well applied, (…) it can release 1,8 points for growth” he says without laughing.
Adaptable austerity
When he was at the helm of his country, Portugal, he marked the spirits by succeeding in bringing back the deficit which was around 4,4% in 2001 below the fateful bar of 3%. At the time, he made a speech, which Hollande would not reproach him for, not hesitating to apostrophize then the Commission which intended to introduce an excessive deficit procedure. " It makes no sense, when a country is trying to undertake major adjustment efforts, to impose sanctions that would make those efforts more difficult » he justifies.
A reserved man
Despite its Latin character, it is not expansive. It would be rather secret. " He is very courteous but with a certain reserve. He doesn't really trust describes former French commissioner Jacques Barrot. Catherine Ashton (2,5).
More aggressive lately
Attacked, he intends to respond in quick succession. It attacks member states head on on youth employment. " This is a policy that does not depend on the Commission. The capitals are the ones that can do the most on the subject. And they haven't done anything for years he confided to a group of journalists on the eve of a summit.
His future, he prepares it
Barroso is preparing his future meticulously, adjusting each of the pieces to be able to be present as a “deus ex machina” in a European combination of which he knows all the tricks. For more than a year now, he has taken it upon himself to appear on the international scene: in May 2012, in Chicago at the NATO summit, in July 2012 in Palestine and Israel, in April 2013 at the rostrum of the Union African Union, in June 2013 alongside Putin for the EU-Russia Summit in Ekaterinburg. It thus significantly hinders the emergence of a Vice-President of the European Commission in charge of External Relations, whose task it complicates rather than it facilitates.
Guilty silences
The observation drawn up by several dozen artists - including Bérénice Béjo and Costa-Gavras - in an open letter published at the beginning of June 2013 is undoubtedly a bit caricatural, but it is not far from the truth. " We have at the head of our Europe a cynical, dishonest and contemptuous man who harms European interests! (…) It is a tense and springless man that we saw yesterday, spouting the cantankerous speech that his teams have been harping on for weeks now. The untruths succeeded the approximations, when they did not leave room for culpable silences. »
A late convert to European defense
President Barroso had "converted" to European defence, delivering on several occasions during his mandate, especially since 2010, vigorous speeches in favor of a more decisive commitment of the Member States in favor of defense (read in particular: Barroso is committed to common defense and European civil protection). A rather late conversion. We remember that when he was Prime Minister of Portugal, he had taken contrary actions, breaking European unity, welcoming at the Azores summit, Americans and countries willing to go to Iraq (United Kingdom, Spain), which had also contributed to slowing down possible advances in foreign and defense policy. We also remember that it was under his government that Portugal gave up the option of joining Airbus' European transport plane, the future A400M (read: When JM Barroso dropped the Airbus A400M, out of friendship...) to postpone his choice on the American planes C130J...
NB: You understood it is not a personality of which I will regret, column length, his absence 😉
(Nicolas Gros-Verheyde)
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Perhaps the main responsibility of the two Barroso commissions was to allow the image of the European Union to deteriorate in the general public. “Brussels” has become an anonymous and distant entity, bureaucratic and indifferent, complex and inefficient. As responsible for the EU's "information policy" and endowed with substantial appropriations to do so, the Commission is primarily responsible for this detestable situation which, de facto, is blocking the development of the EU and even threatening its achievements. Restoring the Union's image will be the great challenge for the Juncker Commission. JGG
Outstanding article once again!
Only small oversight – probably for diplomatic reasons…. – a paragraph on Le grouper, thuriferous of an unlimited Atlanticism and a Euro-Atlanticism, summarizing in itself the decline of this 'fantasized West' which does not support the emergence of a new international order under the effect of its own choices in terms of strategic globalization!