Goldman Sachs – Anna Van Densky blog

tajani-commissioner

The promotion of the former EU Industry top civil servant Antonio Tajani (Italy, EPP) from Barroso’s Commission to the position of the European Parliament president, once again demonstrates the failure of the institution to renew. The civil servants becoming politicians and politicians styled into mandarins, surfing freely between Schuman and Luxembourg squares, just hanging backdrop of the official photos, do not inspire confidence of the EU citizens, trying to figure out a raison d’être of the EU costly project, while getting increasingly confused between loyalties and separations of powers.

Nobody is going to held Antonio Tajani (63) responsable for a move of his former boss José-Manuel Barroso accepting a chairmanship at Goldman Sachs, however the maneuvering of Tajani as the Industry Commissioner to Member of the European Parliament (MEP), with a view of ascending to the top of the latter, makes the whole intrigue look more as a part of a chess game, than a progressive political process, reflecting public interest.

Once the spokesperson of Silvio Berlusconi, Tajani made a spectacular career in the EU institutions, coming just as a replacement of a departing for a national appointment college. With zero chance to receive a second mandate as a civil servant to ‘reign’ over the EU industry while rival party gained power at home, he returned to active politics in European elections to mold into a Member of the European Parliament immediately after

the end of his mandate in the Commission.

At present a much-anticipated farewell of twice a president of the European Parliament Martin Schulz (61),(Germany, S&D) evoked European People’s Party (EPP) to claim its rights, indicating that the second mandate of Schulz was already against all the odds, because according to the major agreement the five years Parliamentary term was divided between representatives of two biggest political groups EEP and Socialists and Democrats.

However the double mandate of five years of a Socialist did not become a window of opportunity to new political actors. No new generation, no new member-states, no new leaders, but the former Commission apparatchik from fading ‘Forza Italia’ party, claiming to be a brand new political group, led by one of the most controversial figures of Italian politics, four times Prime Minister – Silvio Berlusconi (80), whose lucky star is at decline.

Reportedly Tajani is campaigning, looking for support at home and among the other political groups in the European Parliament. The situation should be clarified mid-January, because Social democrats leader Gianni Pittella (IT, S&D) does not accept EEP president bid, claiming it will ruin the fine balance among the EU institutions, leaving socialists in minority in position of leadership.

The beginning of this year a long standing leader of EP Liberals – Guy Verhofstadt (63) (ALDE, Belgium) entered the presidential race, in hope for tactical votes.

However the chances of Mr.Tajani to raise to the summit remain high, thanks to support of his own political group – the most representative in the EP.

Still it looks the idea of renewal remains foreign to the Europarl, along with the idea of gender equality largely remaining a rhetoric exercise: since Simone Veil (1979-1982) no one women-politician ascended the president’s position, acutely no women before either.

The true impact of institutional stagnation expressed in reshuffling the very same people over and over again will be concluded at next Parliament elections, when the European citizens will come to drop their ballots, or will not come. So far last two decades the turnouts for European elections are in study decline.

#Anna van Densky

barroso

Raised this week by OLAF chief Emily O’Reilly issue of former president of European Commission Jose-Manuel Barroso employment at Goldman Sachs is much broader ethical problem than it seems at first glance. It can hardly be resolved just by formal application of Commission’s Code of Conduct as it is not a unique case, but rather typical for men at power.

The phenomenon of former presidents and prime ministers eager for employment is relatively new. Clearly in times of Pompidou and Mitterrand, when senior figures were seen as the most appropriate for positions of leadership the issue of a new job after the term was not existent. Moreover the physical condition didn’t always allow to serve until the end of mandate, ending in ostentatious funeral.

Nowadays the situation has drastically changed, as politicians end term too young to enjoy calm of domestic environment behind geranium, like German chancellor Schroder, who left office of at age of 54 or British PM Blair, leaving office the same age, and this year PM Cameron even younger at 50.

Clearly just scorning those as Schroder who couldn’t resist temptation and accepted employment at Russian state company Gazprom, or Blair working as adviser for Kazakhstan president, – will not help much in preventing the others to follow their path. A lot of ink has been spilled on shaming Blair for deal with ‘despot’, selling his ‘unique personal experience and insights’ for 5 million pounds a year to demons. In vain.

However a petition of protests launched by European Commission staff denouncing Barroso’s engagement with Goldman Sachs has been rapidly attracting signatures reaching 80 000 in a few weeks. The indignant Europeans disagree with continuation of payment of 15 000 euro a month pension for a ‘fat cat’ serving US bankers interest. It looks the former president of EC will face dilemma, but would simple annulation of pension to Portuguese eurocrat serve a lesson for the others in future?

The issue of ‘after life’ of high ranking civil servants will become even more pertinent in upcoming decade with a new wave of strikingly young politicians like Austrian foreign minister Sebastian Kurz, assuming office at age of 27 or Marion Le Pen, entering French National Assemble as MP at age of 22.

If not engaging in broader public debate to work out new rules for young generation of politicians to set clear framework of ‘life after life’ the repercussions might come in the most primitive form of rejection of young for positions in power, returning to old good gerontocracy Brezhnev-Juncker style.

Something to contemplate about: is the only life style for youth to sing about love?

AMOREM CANAT AETAS PRIMA!