Do you know him? Daniel Cohn-Bendit, a German MEP (Greens) who is sort of well-known and has profited from engaging on the European political sphere
I was delighted to read that some - for European standards well-known - commissioners like Ján Figel’ (education), Janez Potočnik (science and research) or Vivane Reding (information society) might be running for candidate in the next European elections. Hurray, I thought, this is a wonderful step towards us, the voters! We would actually be able to relate a bit more to the politicians so far away in Brussels and Strasbourg. It would solve my dilemma – at least a little bit – that I only have heard the names of only 10 actual German MEPs, that I only know from about three of them what they stand for despite that there are 99 in total.
But what a pity: Figel` and Potočnik have already said they will not be running for EP elections. The news was wrong. They like to stay in the commission. Why don’t you want to be voted for, I ‘d like to know!
Or is it really so, that only national politicians who are not welcome anymore in their respective national political spheres (like Rachida Dati in France, the former French minister for justice, who will run for the French EP lists) are pushed away to Brussels? Why is a post in the EP a career killer? One positive example is the German Green MEP, Daniel Cohn-Bendit, who makes himself heard not only in Brussels but also in France and Germany. A good example of the vitality of the French-German dialogue via one person.
(14 votes, average: 3.64 out of 5)
Loading ...
Interesting entry… I know plenty of Romanian MEPs who decided to give up Brussels (although they had been elected) and run in local elections in Romania instead. More popularity, less work, more possibilities to do some more or less legal business back home, in their constituencies. Not necessarily a career killer, but Brussels simply requires to much energy from a politician and rarely pays off in terms of media attention/ influence he/she might receive from it.
Still, I wonder, why doesn’t it pay off? Maybe we would need more European politicians that act regionally and nationally - by this I do not mean that they should engage in strange businesses at home (good point, though), but that they will be players in their national politics and speak up. The Brussels’ circle has to be opened!
I’d say it depends on the kind of career a person is envisaging. Yes, if you build on a national career, than going to Brussels kills your ambitions because there you are far away from your old networks that have helped you and on which you could rely for support and fresh information.
Going to Brussels means to change profile, to change thinking, and it means to leave national paths. But if you envisage a European career, something more and more young and older Europeans are already doing, than why shouldn’t Strasbourg/Brussels be a starting point (or for some the peak) of a career?!
I fully agree with you. Apart from some very popular MEPs - famous either for various gossip-related aspects or for their extremely loud public presence - most Romanian MEPs are virtually unknown to Romanians. There would definitely be a need for stronger involved of a MEP back in its country, on issues he/she is most concerned with. One of the best known Romanian MEPs is passionate about the environment (acting as such in the EP) and also does a lot of work and awareness raising activities with Romanian non-profits in Romania.
The Bulgarian commissioner (Meglena Kuneva) is tipped to lead the MEP list of the liberals although she is yet to confirm.
The Lithuanian commissioner Dalia Gribauskaite is favored by the public opinion in the country to become the next president.
Seems commissioners could maintain a good image at home, especially in the countries where the European institutions are more trusted than the national ones.
I hardly believe that a MEP has a harder workload than a national politician. A representative represents the voters and the voters hardly know who their MEP is.