Grand coalition paralyses the European Parliament

The response of the European Parliament to the European Commission’s Work Programme for 2015 was the overriding topic of discussion in European circles in recent weeks. Following extensive discussions, commotion and even emotion, the Parliament was to vote on a resolution, which, according to whispers in the corridors, would have a major impact on further actions of the Juncker Commission. However it turned out to be a total fiasco: as a result of internal wrangling, the Parliament could not manage to draft a common text that could obtain the support of a majority of European Parliament members. “Consequently the European Parliament not only missed a date with the future but also shot itself in the foot,” says the N-VA’s European delegation.

The Work Programme outlines how the European Commission is going to implement the policy priorities of its chairman, Jean-Claude Juncker. It also includes an overview of the plans for the next few years for other EU institutions and stakeholders. When the Christian Democratic EPP (European People’s Party) and the ECR The N-VA is a member of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR), a conservative, eurorealistic parliamentary group in the European Parliament. The N-VA shares their realistic view of the European project and also advocates for the correct and intensive application of the subsidiarity principle. For example, we must not be afraid to ask ourselves if it would be better to leave certain European initiatives to the Member States. The N-VA also identifies with the emphases that the ECR places on the social-economic issues. Since the 2014 elections, the ECR has become the third largest parliamentary group in the European Parliament. ECR (European Conservatives and Reformists, to which the N-VA belongs) presented a joint resolution on the Work Programme, it appeared as though the Grand Coalition of Christian and Social Democrats and Liberals would splinter. But when the Socialists put on the pressure, the EPP backed down. Thus the Christian Democrats are giving up defending their own principles and remain empty-handed. After all, there is nothing to replace it: even members of the Grand Coalition did not succeed in reaching a compromise. The consequence is that the European Parliament voted separately on the texts submitted by the seven parties and that not a single text obtained a majority.

Fiasco
N-VA European Parliament member Anneleen Van Bossuyt calls it a genuine fiasco for the Parliament: “Since the Juncker Commission assumed office, a large proportion of the European Parliament strictly falls in line behind the so-called Grand Coalition. However in the Parliament there is no majority versus opposition per parliamentary term as in the national and regional parliaments, but you can form new coalitions on a case-by-case basis. Forming a Grand Coalition is now returning like a boomerang in the face of its architects.”

Mark Demesmaeker, N-VA party leader in the European Parliament, calls it “a lamentable farce. To distribute power, an artificial coalition was formed, whose partners support each other willy-nilly even though the internal differences of opinion are often highly significant. This ill-fated development became clear during the appointment hearing of the candidate commissioners and now holds the Parliament hostage. The Parliament is paralysing itself. It is high time that people also think, dare and act more in Europe.”