Juncker 'exchanges views' (and jibes) with Parliamentary Groups
In the week leading up to his confirmation as the next Commission President, Jean-Claude Juncker has spent two days meeting with political groupings in the European Parliament. His team promised an 'exchange of views' on a group by group basis to discuss thoughts on the next term of the Commission.
He started with the S&D, who reaffirmed their wish that the next Economic & Monetary Affairs Commissioner be a Centre-Left Candidate to team up with Roberto Gualtieri MEP (newly named ECON committee Chair in the EP). With the EPP he promised an 'anti-red tape Commissioner'...he's still working on the title.
However, perhaps the tastiest affair was saved until last. Mr Juncker met with the newly-renamed EFDD group featuring Nigel Farage's UKIP & Beppe Grillo's Movimento 5 Stelle. Juncker's Spokesperson Natasha Bartaud described the encounter as "a civilised, democratic exchange". The Luxembourger reportedly said: "What will I do for the EFDD? Make sure that next time you are less numerous." Civility clearly not Mr Juncker's (or indeed Mr Farage's) strong suit...
EFDD & Greens Unite... You have nothing to lose but the Petitions Committee Chair
As Committee positions were doled out to expectant MEPs earlier this week, you could forgive M5S MEP Eleonora Evi for feeling hard done by. According to the D'Hondt system, the EFDD and Ms Evi were the frontrunners for the Chair of the Petitions Committee. This would have been the first real foray of the EFDD group into genuine engagement with the political process in Brussels.
Following the deal in Strasbourg last week however, the Grand Coalition conspired to hand the chair to one of their number: ALDE's Cecilia Wikstrom. The Greens and EFDD both cried foul, with Magrete Auken (Green Spokesperson on the Committee) describing it as a "blow to the democratic process". Voters may be stamping their feet but for the EPP, S&D and ALDE, it is business as usual in Brussels.
Reaching a T-tipping point?
Who is left to speak for the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership? Trade Unions on both side of the Atlantic came together on Thursday to demand stringent conditions on any deal. The criticism is particularly damaging because unions had been reserving judgement, and negotiators are thought to have invested significant time wooing union bosses.
One of the key issues raised by unions was over data security. The critique follows a week in which Mr Juncker was forced, in meetings with the Greens, S&D and ALDE, to guarantee that EU data protection standards would not be up for negotiation as part of TTIP deal. There are concerns from US and EU politicians as well as a number of 'red line' issues still causing headaches. Ahead of the sixth round of talks over the wide-ranging plans next week, how much more criticism can TTIP take?
The Commission's problems with women
Juncker's coronation aside, next week sees the hearings with the EP of the replacement commissioners sent by Poland, Italy, Luxembourg and Finland. The Finnish ex-PM Jryki Katainen will prove most interesting, as the only candidate expected to serve beyond the current mandate.
Katainen highlights another issue for the Commission though, where are the women going to come from? Mr Juncker has pledged more women than ever before. Simultaneously Finland, Estonia and Latvia have all pledged new, highly qualified, male candidates for the new Commission.
This might pique the interest of Downing Street, would a female candidate get Britain the plum job Cameron craves? It appears someone agrees, with one Theresa Villiers, former MEP turned Northern Ireland Secretary and perhaps the best female candidate for the role, on the receiving end of a political hatchet job in The Times on Wednesday.
One quote from the article said "It's not that she doesn't work hard or is not competent. She is. She's just not good at the relationships stuff." It wasn't clear whether they were referring to Ms Villiers or Britain in the EU...