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Two authoritative figures of the German governing camp have, right in time for the German EU presidency, pointed out a dangerous lack of checks and balances in the EU’s institutional framework as well as in the proposed Constitution, and proposed a series of reforms measures. It is time to courageously admit and remedy the democracy deficits, more of the same is no longer a viable policy, they say.
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the origional article
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tv report about the article
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The original article was prominently featured in the paper edition of Welt of Sunday 2006-07-14. phm has a copy.
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translation at Openeurope.org.uk, local copy
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The authors are
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Roman Herzog, former president of the federal republic of Germany, judge of the Constitutional Court, member of the governing Christian Democratic Party and carrier of much popular authority and sympathy across the whole party spectrum
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Lüder Gerken, professor and director of CEP, Institute for European Political Studies
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Both the authors and the newspaper which they chose are close to the governing christian-democratic (and traditionally EUphoric) camp
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They are, at a moment of maximal impact, breaking the ice within a political ruling class in Berlin that so far had shunned such discussions
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They point out
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systematic undermining of democracy by means of legislative laundering (“Spiel mit Banden”) through the Council of Ministers and point out that this way the Council of Ministers has become a champion of expansion of EU competences at the expense of the member states, something which it was designed to prevent.
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lack of competences of the European Parliament, but even more severe reduction of competences of national Parliaments. “It is to be doubted whether, according to the standards of the Basic Law, Germany is today still a parliamentary democracy”.
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extension of EU competences by a biased European Court of Justice (ECJ), with no counter-balance
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lack of a finite list of competences of the EU, thus encouragement of creative expansion
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need an immediate discussion about thourough reform
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many national MPs are unsatisfied, but afraid of speaking up
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“More of the same” is no longer viable. Grace period has run out, problems have become apparent. Failing to address problems now will backfire.
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national governments today are the main motors of pro-EU agendas. They want “more of the same” manipulation power, which they have obtained through legislative laundering game. This kind of automatic push is a danger to democracy and calls for courageous resistance by any responsible politician.
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proposed remedies include
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real contorl of Council by the national parliaments (rather than empty reporting promises), so as to turn it into a second parliamentary chamber
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restriction of ECJ competence by a “court of competences”, composed by members of national constitutional courts
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some more power for the Europarl
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finite list of competences of the EU, to be changed only by decision of the contractants, not by creative extension
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after elections of the European Parliament, any directive proposal has to be resubmitted (for 1st reading)
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positions of Herzog and Gerken quite similar in spirit to those of http://www.power-to-the-parliament.org/
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See also the german version of this page.
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To get more written, ask phm and de-help to provide it
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