See my Felipe Gonzalez on the Future of Europe (June 28th, 2008)
Though González has become a third-wayer he does have a strong commitment to European integration, and he's generally well-respected by the European political class. The brainless should not be in banking. — Willem Buiter
what now interests Sarkozy
so the governments can continue to cook things
Why I want to get Barroso out is a simple matter. If you want to understand who Barroso is, don't listen to us. Read Jean-Pierre Jouyet [French Minister for European Affairs], who was no less than the craftsman of the French presidency [of the EU]. He says: "This guy is a cameleon, when you talk to him, it's the last one who spoke with him who's right. It's always like that. You reach an agreement with him about something. The next day, he happens to meet somebody else, and he goes over to the contrary side."
France's prima donna President has a decidedly negative effect on EU governance at the moment. Not only does he hijack existing initiatives to the greater glory of Sarko only to drop them when the photo-op has been obtained, but he also has fostered a culture where there is a directoire of a few large (and conservative) governments hashing out EU policy with Barroso and then ramming it through the EU Council. Even mid-sized states are not happy. EurActiv: Big member states 'backing out of EU', warns Hungary FM (27 April 2009 )Balázs, who is a former EU commissioner, said that large member states were looking to "strengthen" the role of other institutions as alternative decision-making fora. The foreign minister said Germany had been working "to seize economic institutions and to strengthen the G20" since 2007. In line with views recently expressed by Belgian Foreign Minister Karel de Gucht (EurActiv 21/04/09), he argued that the aim of such actions was to leave smaller EU member states "behind", with larger members preferring to deal with states that have "similar influence and weight".and EU increasingly governed by the few, Belgian FM warns (21 April 2009)With just a year to go until the Belgian EU Presidency, the country's foreign minister denounced the functioning of the Union, which he said is increasingly governed by an "executive board of big countries". Speaking on Monday (20 April) at the opening of an annual diplomatic conference in Brussels, Karel de Gucht said Belgium would make full use of its presidency in the second half of 2010 to re-establish the EU institutional balance, which he said was in "danger". "It is absolutely unacceptable that small groups of member states put in danger the normal institutional process," de Gucht said. "Belgium has the duty of trying as quickly as possible to re-establish the institutional balance."
EurActiv: Big member states 'backing out of EU', warns Hungary FM (27 April 2009 )
Balázs, who is a former EU commissioner, said that large member states were looking to "strengthen" the role of other institutions as alternative decision-making fora. The foreign minister said Germany had been working "to seize economic institutions and to strengthen the G20" since 2007. In line with views recently expressed by Belgian Foreign Minister Karel de Gucht (EurActiv 21/04/09), he argued that the aim of such actions was to leave smaller EU member states "behind", with larger members preferring to deal with states that have "similar influence and weight".
The foreign minister said Germany had been working "to seize economic institutions and to strengthen the G20" since 2007.
In line with views recently expressed by Belgian Foreign Minister Karel de Gucht (EurActiv 21/04/09), he argued that the aim of such actions was to leave smaller EU member states "behind", with larger members preferring to deal with states that have "similar influence and weight".
With just a year to go until the Belgian EU Presidency, the country's foreign minister denounced the functioning of the Union, which he said is increasingly governed by an "executive board of big countries". Speaking on Monday (20 April) at the opening of an annual diplomatic conference in Brussels, Karel de Gucht said Belgium would make full use of its presidency in the second half of 2010 to re-establish the EU institutional balance, which he said was in "danger". "It is absolutely unacceptable that small groups of member states put in danger the normal institutional process," de Gucht said. "Belgium has the duty of trying as quickly as possible to re-establish the institutional balance."
Speaking on Monday (20 April) at the opening of an annual diplomatic conference in Brussels, Karel de Gucht said Belgium would make full use of its presidency in the second half of 2010 to re-establish the EU institutional balance, which he said was in "danger".
"It is absolutely unacceptable that small groups of member states put in danger the normal institutional process," de Gucht said. "Belgium has the duty of trying as quickly as possible to re-establish the institutional balance."
Though González has become a third-wayer he does have a strong commitment to European integration
