Sarkozy: Britain and Ireland should share one Commisioner

[TradCat]

"Countries which share a common cultural heritage, such as Germany and Austria, Great Britain and Ireland or the Benelux countries could share a common Commissioner," German newspaper Die Welt said, quoting high-level French sources.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldne ... -seat.html


I expect all those Yes supporters who dread us being pushed closer o Britain will react with fury to this proposal.

[NotDevsSon]

Yet another unworkable idea from the French. They are notorious for producing frankly stupid ideas during their presidencies. This is a classic.

Unless Lisbon is passed by mid-next year (and it won't be. Any referendum will be later) then the next commission will be formed under Nice, which means there will be a smaller commission, as it is legally impossible under Nice from the next commission on to have a 'one for everyone in the audience' commission anymore. A reduction in size is automatic. The only issue to be decided is how small.

[TradCat]

NDS

There are ways around mere legality for the EU

Ireland has pleaded for the current Commission's mandate to be extended deferring the issue of a second referendum, or not, into late 2009.
Other options raised in July, according to diplomats, envisage a 26 member Commission with the 27th country taking another top Brussels job, such as Javier Solana's post as EU foreign affairs representative.

[moghroth]

"Countries which share a common cultural heritage, such as Germany and Austria, Great Britain and Ireland or the Benelux countries could share a common Commissioner," German newspaper Die Welt said, quoting high-level French sources.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldne ... -seat.html


I expect all those Yes supporters who dread us being pushed closer o Britain will react with fury to this proposal.

I was [color=#008000]beaganín feargach[/color] until I read the article. A non starter from the beginning.

However the last paragraph was interesting.

Other options raised in July, according to diplomats, envisage a 26 member Commission with the 27th country taking another top Brussels job, such as Javier Solana's post as EU foreign affairs representative.

Who will get this job? Umm!

[merle haggard]

Ha !!

[NotDevsSon]

NDS

There are ways around mere legality for the EU

[i]Ireland has pleaded for the current Commission's mandate to be extended deferring the issue of a second referendum, or not, into late 2009.

It cannot be. The commission in office will automatically terminate in November 2009. There is no legal provision to extend a term. That was explored in the early 1990s when it was decided to change the timing of the formation of new commissions. Governments sought legal advice as to whether they could simply extend the Delors II commission. It turned out that was impossible. They ended up having to appoint a new commission, Delors III, even though it had only a short term (going from memory, a year or so).

The issue of whether this commission could be extended was already looked into legally many many months ago. The advice was an unequivocal 'No'. The most that could be done is to form a new interim commission but even that is thought to be highly questionable legally and it is believed that even if they formed a new interim commission with the current commissioners, they effectively would be powerless as the treaties do not provide for it and all decisions taken would be liable to be struck down as illegal.

Furthermore any new commission would fall under the ambit of Article 4 of the Protocols of the Nice Treaty and automatically have to be less than 27. There is no legal way around it.

Either Cowen's government has not done their homework or they are clutching at straws. The advice is absolutely black and white: there is no legal way to extend a commission term. The current commission ends in November 2009 and there is no legal way to keep the current commission in office for one minute longer than their term.

Other options raised in July, according to diplomats, envisage a 26 member Commission with the 27th country taking another top Brussels job, such as Javier Solana's post as EU foreign affairs representative.

That would be extremely unlikely to work.

1. There is no agreement on which country would 'lose' a commissioner.
2. The foreign policy chief's role is in no way comparable with a commissioner.
3. The large countries will not agree to be the 'only one off' the commission.
4. There is no way larger countries would agree to a small country having the foreign policy chief job.
5. No-one will agree to be the only one off the commission, especially as if the reduction was reversed once Lisbon comes in, there is no legal way to appoint the missing commissioner back onto the commission for the full five years.
6. It actually would be easier to agree to have a group of commissioners off the commission than just one. Countries might agree to be one of a group, but no-one will agree to be the only one off. It would come down to national ego, and they would not agree to be the odd-one-out. So in reality a 26 member commission is the least likely number.

The talk of Solana's job becoming the 27th commissioner in effect sounds like silly season talk. We had another example two weeks ago where there was talk of the head of the civil service becoming the 27th. The head of the civil service is appointed purely on ability and there is no way on earth the European civil service would tolerate it being used as a political token.

Remember, we are in the middle of the media's silly season. These rumours sound like gossip over a couple of pints, producing the sorts of ideas that the moment they went before lawyers would be binned as legally impossible. To be honest there is no point in paying any heed to silly season speculation. The silly season is when any sort of half-baked rumour gets published, the sort of stuff that in the real world would draw the response "that is a nonsensical and unworkable idea. Have you any useful ideas to put forward?"

[stewiegriffin]

Er yes for sure . Its for the best . We should be above petty nationalism by now (except for Fg obviously,abusing minor brit parties in strasbourg or wherever) I for one feel that leftie,jew mandelson would be attuned to the common people of the British isles

[Bobert]

Ah, no.

First of, it makes no sense, who can two countries share a commissioner? It just can't work.

While the com is to act independent of their states, they hear things through the grapevine, don't try to pretend they don't.

[moghroth]

Also in fact it could be contrary to Article 1 of the Irish Constitution. We either change Article 1 and allow our political, cultural and economic activities, not to be [color=#008000]de réir dúchas is gnás ár sínsear[/color], according to the [color=#0000BF]genius and tradition of our people[/color], or not. It's our choice, not Europe's.

[CreamCracker]

Sarkozy is a right amadán. Worst President France has had in decades.