LQD: The new European Commission's team | 67 comments (65 topical, 2 editorial, 0 hidden)

Re: LQD: The new European Commission's team (none / 1)

Dacian Ciolos is a bit of a dark horse. Romanian but very French-trained. A specialist in rural development, worked on organic farms... But is a member of the very British and Eurosceptic Bruges Group...

Dacian Cioloş - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

He was born in Zalău and after graduating from the agro-industrial high school in Şimleu Silvaniei in 1987, attended the Horticulture faculty of the University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca from 1989 to 1994, graduating as a horticultural engineer. He also holds degrees in the economy of agricultural development from the École nationale supérieure agronomique de Rennes and from the University of Montpellier 1, where he earned a master's in 1997 and a doctorate in 2006. He has belonged to the Bruges Group since 2000, and he is married.^[1] Cioloş is a political independent.^[2]^[3]
From 1991 to 1996, Cioloş completed thirteen months' worth of internships on organic farms in the French region of Brittany. In the summer of 1995, he prepared a rural development project between Savoie and Argeş County, while working at the Aveyron agricultural chamber of commerce in Rodez during 1997, studying agricultural and rural development in the northern part of that department. In 1997 and 1999, he interned as an agro-economist at the European Commission's Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development in Brussels, helping prepare the Special Accession Programme for Agriculture and Rural Development (SAPARD). In 1998-1999, he directed a local rural development programme in Argeş County, again cooperating with Savoie. From 1999 to 2001, he worked at two agricultural development agencies in France, coordinating joint programmes with Romania in that field. From 2002 to 2003, as part of the European Commission's delegation to Romania, he helped manage SAPARD's implementation in his native country. From January 2005 to May 2007, he was an adviser to Romania's Agriculture Minister, and a representative in the European Council's Special Committee on Agriculture. From May to October 2007, he was undersecretary of state for European affairs at the ministry.^[1] Following the resignation of Decebal Traian Remeş due to a corruption scandal,^[4] he was appointed Agriculture Minister in October 2007, serving until the following December, when Tăriceanu's National Liberal Party-led government left office after a parliamentary election.^[5] Early in 2009, he returned to work at the Agriculture and Rural Development DG.^[6]
In October 2009, the Emil Boc government, which hopes to secure the Agriculture portfolio in the second Barroso Commission, nominated Cioloş as Romania's EU Commissioner.^[7] The proposal was criticised by the opposition Liberals and Social Democrats, who saw it as a last-ditch maneuver by a government on the brink of collapse, as well as by the Party of European Socialists, who believe the position ought to go to a Social Democrat.^[3] Boc's cabinet did indeed resign the day after nominating Cioloş, when it lost a motion of no confidence.^[8] At the end of November, Barroso nominated Cioloş to the Agriculture position, observing that his was "the most competent name" of those submitted for consideration, and lauding his "modern vision" of agriculture and rural development.^[9]

Oh, the northern part of the Aveyron is José Bové's parish.

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Fri Nov 27th, 2009 at 04:11:47 PM EST

Re: LQD: The new European Commission's team (none / 1)

He was chosen by Romania's government and President with the explicit aim to get the agricultural portfolio.

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Fri Nov 27th, 2009 at 06:05:44 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: LQD: The new European Commission's team (none / 0)

To defend transfers via the CAP towards Romania, or to destroy the CAP as the British Eurosceptic Tory-party-inspired Bruges Group would wish?

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Sat Nov 28th, 2009 at 02:49:21 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: LQD: The new European Commission's team (none / 0)

The first, at least by the intention of the government and the President. This Bruges Group connection is really strange, I'll try to find something on it.

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Sat Nov 28th, 2009 at 06:04:03 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: LQD: The new European Commission's team (none / 0)

I see nanne was faster...

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Sat Nov 28th, 2009 at 06:09:53 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: LQD: The new European Commission's team (none / 0)

I searched for the name on the Bruges Group site and got no response.

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Sat Nov 28th, 2009 at 06:20:28 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: LQD: The new European Commission's team (none / 1)

Can someone Wikipedia-savvy correct the mistake on Dacian Ciolos' page? It links to the Wikipedia page on the wrong Bruges Group.

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Sat Nov 28th, 2009 at 06:33:58 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: LQD: The new European Commission's team (none / 0)

Do you have the link to the wikipedia page for the right Bruges group?

En un viejo país ineficiente, algo así como España entre dos guerras civiles, poseer una casa y poca hacienda y memoria ninguna. -- Gil de Biedma

by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Sat Nov 28th, 2009 at 06:39:01 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: LQD: The new European Commission's team (none / 0)

I guess there is no Wikipedia page for the Groupe de Bruges...

En un viejo país ineficiente, algo así como España entre dos guerras civiles, poseer una casa y poca hacienda y memoria ninguna. -- Gil de Biedma

by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Sat Nov 28th, 2009 at 06:49:17 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: LQD: The new European Commission's team (none / 0)

Apparently not, not even on the FR Wikipédia.

At least the Ciolos page shouldn't link to the Eurosceptic Bruges Group.

The agricultural Bruges Group About page is here.

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Sun Nov 29th, 2009 at 05:15:40 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: LQD: The new European Commission's team (4.00 / 3)

I'll create the pages. That will allow me to create a disambiguation page for Bruges Group lowering the visibility of the Eurosceptic one. Har, har, har (and a bottle of rum)

En un viejo país ineficiente, algo así como España entre dos guerras civiles, poseer una casa y poca hacienda y memoria ninguna. -- Gil de Biedma

by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Sun Nov 29th, 2009 at 05:57:33 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: LQD: The new European Commission's team (none / 0)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Groupe_de_Bruges now created...

En un viejo país ineficiente, algo así como España entre dos guerras civiles, poseer una casa y poca hacienda y memoria ninguna. -- Gil de Biedma

by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Sun Nov 29th, 2009 at 07:20:01 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: LQD: The new European Commission's team (none / 1)

Good work! I made a minor edit (the Charles-Leopold Mayer Foundation is Swiss).

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Sun Nov 29th, 2009 at 07:44:31 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: LQD: The new European Commission's team (none / 0)

What sources need referring to -- apart from pages in the groupedebruges site?

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Sun Nov 29th, 2009 at 07:49:31 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: LQD: The new European Commission's team (none / 1)

If you look at the edit history and the discussion page I created a one-line stub and within 3 minutes the page received a "request for speedy deletion" and an "unreferenced" notice. Wikipedia has become a regimented pain in the arse.

I had to waste a few minutes explaining why the article needed to exist and the deletion notice was promptly removed by another Wikipedia editor.

I will not bother removing the "unsourced" notice.

En un viejo país ineficiente, algo así como España entre dos guerras civiles, poseer una casa y poca hacienda y memoria ninguna. -- Gil de Biedma

by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Sun Nov 29th, 2009 at 08:46:40 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: LQD: The new European Commission's team (none / 0)

Yes, I did see that. It seemed to me you did cite refs, and wondered what others could be needed.

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Sun Nov 29th, 2009 at 09:13:21 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: LQD: The new European Commission's team (none / 0)

It appears the Bruges Group is much better than the Groupe de Bruges at getting mentioned in the media...

En un viejo país ineficiente, algo así como España entre dos guerras civiles, poseer una casa y poca hacienda y memoria ninguna. -- Gil de Biedma

by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Sun Nov 29th, 2009 at 09:08:24 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: LQD: The new European Commission's team (4.00 / 2)

It will be interesting to see what the Economist will say if they ever notice the connections. My guess is heads will explode.

by nanne (zwaerdenmaecker@gmail.com) on Sun Nov 29th, 2009 at 10:57:47 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: LQD: The new European Commission's team (4.00 / 4)

I predict we will hear anti-Ciolos noise as soon as they find out. (At the very least, the French connection... But then the ideas of Pisani and the Groupe de Bruges, oh dear...)

[File under heading: you read it first on ET].

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Sun Nov 29th, 2009 at 12:05:38 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: LQD: The new European Commission's team (none / 1)

It's already happened:

Dacian Cioloş - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

German news agency Deutsche Presse-Agentur and British newspaper The Independent both criticised the nomination due to the funds mismanagement issue, with French daily Ouest-France alleging that the cause of British indignation was the perception that Cioloş would be akin to a second French EU Commissioner, given his close ties to that country.^[18]

En un viejo país ineficiente, algo así como España entre dos guerras civiles, poseer una casa y poca hacienda y memoria ninguna. -- Gil de Biedma

by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Mon Nov 30th, 2009 at 04:43:26 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: LQD: The new European Commission's team (4.00 / 2)

Done.

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Sat Nov 28th, 2009 at 06:44:56 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: LQD: The new European Commission's team (4.00 / 2)

It's a different Bruges Group (as I just found out). In fact, Cioloş is the French candidate as much as he's the Romanian. Here's what the Bruges Group says on agriculture:

The second observation concerns the increasing importance of the international dimension in our reflections upon the policy issues surrounding agriculture. We have already raised the importance of this by underlining the necessity to guarantee food security, particularly for developing countries, and by highlighting the dangers inherent in an aggressive EU export policy. But since the events of Seattle, it has become abundantly clear that the rise of liberalism is going to provoke much wider mobilization which, in turn, would once more shine the spotlight upon the food question - global governance, the role of international institutions and, beyond this, a sense of the future and of the ability of people to influence the course of history. What future is there in a process of globalization orchestrated by the United States, in which the collective interest adds up to the sum of certain private interests? This question is of concern to all continents, including our own. Then we witnessed the tragic events of September 11 2001. We should not overestimate the scope of the grand resolutions made in this context. But we should take stock of the risk of instability which characterizes the new century. We must reassert the need for global co-ordination of economic policy, for the democratization of negotiation processes, and for the respect of collective interests. We explain below that the emergence of a multipolar world is a matter of urgency. We should encourage the development of regional groupings seen as policy integration areas within which exchanges are stimulated and regulated. Like the European Union, these groupings made up of countries of similar status will participate in the construction of stabilized markets. As for international trade negotiations, they must be organized around one priority: the reduction of inequality between countries, between territories, and between individuals. The fight against poverty rests upon the ability of the countries of the South to preserve markets for their farmers. The European Union must guarantee them this right which it has claimed for itself. And that is where agricultural policy comes in again. The growing importance of concerns about the environment, rural development and food security do not excuse us from renewed reflection upon the organization of markets, mechanisms of trade and protection, and the place of farmers in the world.

A quite succint statement of French geopolitics, at least as practiced under Chirac.

Seriously: WTF??

by nanne (zwaerdenmaecker@gmail.com) on Sat Nov 28th, 2009 at 05:55:08 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: LQD: The new European Commission's team (none / 0)

Seriously: WTF??

Is this what Barroso got reappointed to do? He denies it

Barroso said that he had distributed jobs according to the talents and interests of the individuals, not according to country.

(European Voice)

En un viejo país ineficiente, algo así como España entre dos guerras civiles, poseer una casa y poca hacienda y memoria ninguna. -- Gil de Biedma

by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Sat Nov 28th, 2009 at 06:26:06 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: LQD: The new European Commission's team (none / 0)

Well duh. Romania chose someone with the talent and interest for the theme they wanted.

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Sat Nov 28th, 2009 at 06:35:56 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: LQD: The new European Commission's team (4.00 / 3)

I'll say straight out that I'm quite pleased, a priori, to see someone with this background and apparent interests appointed to Agriculture.

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Sat Nov 28th, 2009 at 06:39:55 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: LQD: The new European Commission's team (none / 0)

distributed jobs according to the talents and interests of the individuals, not according to country.

It would be fun if the EP would foil the Oettinger nomination... but why expect it from the same EP that re-elected Barroso.

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Sat Nov 28th, 2009 at 06:47:05 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: LQD: The new European Commission's team (4.00 / 3)

So it's the Groupe de Bruges d'Edgard Pisani.

Bruges Group

The Bruges Group is composed of about thirty individuals from different European countries. Created in 1995 at the suggestion of Mr. Edgard Pisani, it is independent of any organisation or institution.

I can see a number of differences with standard French agricultural policy there in the excerpt you quote. What's your WTF referring to?

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Sat Nov 28th, 2009 at 06:26:42 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: LQD: The new European Commission's team (4.00 / 2)

For Pisani, see my Can The World Feed Its Population?

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Sat Nov 28th, 2009 at 06:30:49 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: LQD: The new European Commission's team (4.00 / 3)

To the 'multipolar world as a matter of urgency' and the 'process of globalization orchestrated by the USA' and the encouragement of EU clones. Rather too much geopolitics to hinge agricultural policy on. And rather too French.

The EU should focus on stopping the harm it's doing with its export subsidies before considering agricultural policy as a cog in arranging a new world order.

by nanne (zwaerdenmaecker@gmail.com) on Sat Nov 28th, 2009 at 07:16:39 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: LQD: The new European Commission's team (4.00 / 4)

I read

nanne:

the necessity to guarantee food security, particularly for developing countries, and by highlighting the dangers inherent in an aggressive EU export policy.

As for US-orchestrated globalisation, I'm dead against, but perhaps that's just me.

Seems to me the EU project is part of a multipolar movement?

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Sat Nov 28th, 2009 at 08:07:47 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: LQD: The new European Commission's team (4.00 / 3)

Seems to me the EU project is part of a multipolar movement?

Exactly. I fundamentally disagree with that view. I see the EU as a step towards global governance. I think the focus on creating regional blocs elsewhere is inappropriate for many parts of the world and potentially dangerous if it would ever work. I think that the EU should lead the way on a more equitable global arrangement and partner with the developing world at large in doing so rather than trying to divvy up the world in trading blocs.

The rest of the recommendations are fair enough, and for the record I'm also happy to have Cioloş. I just thought the bit on multipolarism and encouraging EU clones was weird in a text on agriculture.

by nanne (zwaerdenmaecker@gmail.com) on Sat Nov 28th, 2009 at 08:32:09 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: LQD: The new European Commission's team (4.00 / 3)

Well, I think there's an approach to agricultural development that looks at the local and the regional (regions may be large). Local development should be firstly about food security in rural localities, while development of regional (smaller sense) markets can offer an outlet for part of the crops grown, against cash. A wider region may organize/stabilize exchanges on a comparative advantage basis (area 1 is better for rice, area 2 for maize, etc).

I think this is above all the reference in that text. They do after all say:

nanne:

We must reassert the need for global co-ordination of economic policy, for the democratization of negotiation processes, and for the respect of collective interests.

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Sat Nov 28th, 2009 at 09:56:21 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: LQD: The new European Commission's team (none / 1)

What happens when the 'development of regional groupings' is in practical conflict with the 'need for global coordination of economic policy'? You can want both but as a practical matter the first is an existing element of the EU's trade strategy (through EPAs) which exists as a way of restructuring global trade in the absence of a prospect of coming to a global agreement through the Doha round.

As the EPAs seem less harmful than the Doha round this is not a bad thing on account of getting a global arrangement. Better nothing than Doha. But the accompanying construction of regional trading blocs in the service of the EU market is a questionable matter.

by nanne (zwaerdenmaecker@gmail.com) on Sat Nov 28th, 2009 at 10:33:29 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: LQD: The new European Commission's team (none / 0)

nanne:

in the service of the EU market

I agree.

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Sat Nov 28th, 2009 at 10:35:41 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: LQD: The new European Commission's team (none / 1)

A multipolar system is a much better description because it allows a gradation of connection between the poles, as opposed to the delineation of territory into impermeable blocs. The latter reminds me of how Africa got carved up by diplomats from Spain, Germany, Britain, France, Italy and Portugal on a map that had very little to do with the cultural and tribal realities on the ground.

You can't be me, I'm taken

by Sven Triloqvist on Sat Nov 28th, 2009 at 08:57:54 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: LQD: The new European Commission's team (none / 1)

If you look at a terrain map, there are obvious geographical choices for territorial boundaries. But when mapmakers use a river as a territorial line, eg, the mappers forget that a river has two banks - that don't divide people, both banks attract the same people.

You can't be me, I'm taken

by Sven Triloqvist on Sat Nov 28th, 2009 at 09:04:01 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: LQD: The new European Commission's team (none / 0)

That can also be read as an argument for better geographic line-drawing. As Migeru is fond of pointing out, you'd want to go with catchment basins. e.g.

Of course it's all rather more complicated and IMO the best thing we can do is not interfere more, since we Europeans have a long history of screwing things up. Which is sometimes remembered!

by nanne (zwaerdenmaecker@gmail.com) on Sat Nov 28th, 2009 at 09:35:38 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: LQD: The new European Commission's team (4.00 / 2)

But I think nanne's criticism of the EU making a multipolar world a geostrategic goal is that it's as if the EU were asking Kissinger's question about other regions. "If the High Representative wants to phone South America, who should she call?"

Should the EU really be doing that?

En un viejo país ineficiente, algo así como España entre dos guerras civiles, poseer una casa y poca hacienda y memoria ninguna. -- Gil de Biedma

by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Sat Nov 28th, 2009 at 09:21:06 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: LQD: The new European Commission's team (none / 1)

It's already doing that to itself. Europe is increasingly multipolar as the ancient and modern boundaries become more irrelevant by the year. That's what free movement of goods and people means.

For accounting purposes (who pays and who gets what) those boundaries still exist. But for people (culture) they are far less important.

You can't be me, I'm taken

by Sven Triloqvist on Sat Nov 28th, 2009 at 09:30:50 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: LQD: The new European Commission's team (4.00 / 4)

I think, as I suggest above, that the text is more about creating large regional food markets in opposition to the Doha Round globalising tendency which would see major powers deriving their food supplies from (in some cases neo-colonial) plantation-type agriculture -- than it is about foreign policy.

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Sat Nov 28th, 2009 at 10:04:44 AM EST
[ Parent ]

LQD: The new European Commission's team | 67 comments (65 topical, 2 editorial, 0 hidden)

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