European Commission: Reform (Hansard, 20 April 1999)

§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Foreign and Commonwealth Office) Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean
My Lords, the Government have already shared specific reform ideas with our partners. We believe that the Commission should be 1018 guided by efficiency, transparency and accountability. Achieving this will require changes in financial control systems, personnel management and structures.
Heads of Government met Mr. Prodi, the European Council's nominee for Commission President, on 14th April to discuss Commission reform. They agreed to take forward the reform process at the European Council in Cologne on 3rd and 4th June on the basis of more detailed plans drawn up by Mr. Prodi.

§ Lord Willoughby de Broke
My Lords, I am most grateful to the Minister for that Answer. Can she confirm that under the terms of the Amsterdam Treaty the Government gave the President of the Commission absolute power of veto over nominations to the Commission? Bearing that in mind, and the fact that Mr. Prodi has a serious federalist agenda, does she believe that there is any chance of reforming the Commission by so much as a twig, let alone root and branch?

§ Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean
Yes, my Lords, I believe that there is a great chance of reforming the Commission. I am sure that the noble Lord will be pleased to know that some of the ideas put forward by Mr. Prodi are similar to those which I am sure your Lordships will approve and which the Government will be pursuing. It is true that the President and member states nominate commissioners by what has been described as "common accord". I am sure that there will be a good deal of accord in those nominations.

Lord Bruce of Doningtort
My Lords, is the Minister aware that in Brussels two years ago the member states passed a Convention on the Fight Against Corruption Involving Officials of the European Communities or Officials of the Member States of the European Union, a copy of which was placed in the Vote Office yesterday? Will she explain why this is not yet in force? Will she also bear in mind that the speech of my right honourable friend the Prime Minister referred not only to a reform of the Commission but also to a reform of its mandate and method of operation? What steps are being taken at our governmental level to ensure that that is proceeded with by the Council of Ministers or the European Council, whose meeting on 24th and 25th March in Berlin did little except congratulate the Commission on its past record?

§ Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean
My Lords, I believe that the meeting in Berlin did a little more than that. My noble friend raises some specific points. I must examine exactly what was placed in the Library yesterday, but I am sure that my noble friend will be pleased to know that on 15th March the ECOFIN Council agreed to the creation of a new European fraud prevention office which will replace UCLAF, the existing anti-fraud body which my noble friend has criticised in the past. The important point is that the new office will enjoy the broadest possible operating autonomy, including the power to initiate investigations, 1019 and will have full access to documents and officials. The Government have long advocated that course of action and are pleased to see it coming into force.

§ Baroness Williams of Crosby
My Lords, will the Minister confirm that the expert group made it plain that no charge of corruption or bribery lay against any commissioner? Will she also confirm that much of the management weakness that it found arose directly from requests from the European Council and the Council of Ministers, the effective meeting of which went beyond the capacity of the Commission's staff or its budget? Therefore, will she say how far a reform of the Commission can be extended to examining the interrelationship of the Union's institutions to make the load and the resources balance one with another?

§ Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean
My Lords, I can confirm that the noble Baroness, Lady Williams, is right that the Committee of Independent Experts did not complain about either corruption or fraud on the part of any of the commissioners. Other criticisms were made, but not about that.
The point the noble Baroness makes about the restructuring is important. Her Majesty's Government believe that the Commission will have to set in place management structures to deliver an effective and flexible service. That must be informed by accountability and transparency. We shall wish to see a wide review of the present structures of the directorates-general. We shall also wish to see mechanisms for adjusting to changing priorities and better organisation of the political direction provided by the College of Commissioners. We discussed a number of detailed points in the meeting with Mr. Prodi on 14th April, which I mentioned in my original Answer.

Lord Renton
My Lords—

§ Lord Clinton-Davis
My Lords, would my noble friend—

§ Lord Pearson of Rannoch
My Lords—

§ The Lord Privy Seal (Baroness Jay of Paddington)
My Lords, as always, I am in the hands of the House, but I believe that the noble Lord, Lord Clinton-Davis, should ask his question first.

§ Lord Clinton-Davis
My Lords, having regard to the extremely urgent matters affecting the European Union, not least Agenda 2000 and matters affecting unemployment, will my noble friend indicate when she hopes the new Commission will be in place? In doing so, will she bear in mind the fact that the Commission will remain a vitally important feature of the whole constellation of European institutions?

§ Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean
My Lords, the timetabling of the appointment of the new Commission depends on a number of factors during the course of this year. The European elections are to be held on 10th and 1020 13th June. Some time after that, in June or July, member states must agree with Mr. Prodi the nominations for the Commission. We expect the new Commission to be in office in September or October this year.

Lord Renton
My Lords, will the Government bear in mind that the harmonisation of laws of the 15 European Union countries, with 11 different languages and many different legal systems, has placed an impossible task on the Commission's lawyers? If the European Union were to be further enlarged, that task would become even more impossible. Therefore, will the Government make representations to abolish the duty to move towards harmonisation?

§ Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean
My Lords, I cannot undertake to make the representations for which the noble Lord pressed. I understand his point about the enormous volume of work which is occasioned by new members and the necessity of translation. I am afraid that there is little way round that, other than ensuring that the reforms we are examining, which will be discussed in Cologne, will continue. The process will be discussed throughout the year, the Committee of Independent Experts making further recommendations later in the year. I am sure that the points raised by the noble Lord will be of great interest in those discussions.

§ Lord Stoddart of Swindon
My Lords, does my noble friend agree that Mr. Prodi's address to the European Parliament accentuated and gave great prominence to the need for Europe to be integrated into a single state? Do Her Majesty's Government agree with that? Have they now become federalists, as they supported Mr. Prodi? If not, will they ensure that Mr. Prodi behaves as the head of a civil service and not as the head of a European country?

§ Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean
My Lords, I cannot agree with my noble friend's original premise that Mr. Prodi's speech was entirely that of a federalist. I am sure that Mr. Prodi's conduct in office will be entirely proper. However, the extent to which Mr. Prodi focuses on reform and on practical policies is striking and his analysis of the necessity for reform is close to ours. I believe that recently he has argued quite a lot for a decentralised European Union. He also talks a great deal about the role of the European Council and the European Parliament in guiding the Commission. I am sure that my noble friend will be pleased to hear that.

§ Baroness Rawlings
My Lords, will the Minister explain why the Government are opposed to the enhancement of the role of this Parliament in terms of giving another place the opportunity to approve the appointment of this country's European commissioners?

§ Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean
My Lords, I imagine that it was for the same reason as it was opposed by the party which the noble Baroness supports.