Carles Pérez-Desoy Fages
Diplomat
The upcoming European elections will see the return of an argument that is not new: criticism of the alleged ineffectiveness, lack of democracy and representativeness of the European Union and its institutions. The series Parlement (FILMIN), a kind of Yes Minister set in the EU, is a good parody of this type of reproach.
But the humour loses all humour when we see that much of the artillery comes from the trenches of the extreme right, which is paradoxically very concerned about the democratic deficit of the European institutions.
Of course, not everyone shares these criticisms. Simon Hix, a professor at the London School of Economics, believes that the EU’s unique, mixed system of decision-making is a great success. Why is that? Hix believes that the involvement of a variety of very heterogeneous institutions – some, like the representative parliament, and others, like the hated “Eurocrats”, noted for their “democratic deficit” – in building agreements is an excellent counterweight to the often obscure interests of the lobbies, with one clear beneficiary: consumers.
It is estimated that there are 15,000 lobbyists in Brussels, integrated into some 2,000 lobbies that work to ensure that EU regulations favour the companies that pay them. Some are very reputable and respectable, others as controversial as tobacco companies, oil companies or GMO producers.
But despite the extraordinary weight of these lobbies, the EU has become the world’s leading champion of consumer protection in the face of the multi-billion dollar interests, not always transparent, of large corporations and their sometimes shadowy tentacles.
Who was the driving force behind the ban on roaming, the ban on overbooking, the ban on the endemic scourge imposed by fait accompli by airlines, the ban on many non-biodegradable products, and the standardisation of mobile phone chargers? These are just a handful of examples that help us to visualise this effort by the European Union to push through consumer legislation that otherwise would hardly have seen the light of day.
But it is not just about the European consumer. The EU is a formidable regulatory power, which has led to the “export” to many other countries of a good number of these consumer-protecting regulations. This is the so-called “Brussels effect”. Legal irradiation. It is easy to understand that it is easier for an anonymous and well-paid “Eurocrat” than for certain politicians – particularly in fragile states – to ignore media pressure or “economic incentives” and, if necessary, to slam the door in the face of a lobbyist, however powerful he or she may be.
Since its foundation, the EU’s greatest strength has been its law, and consumer protection is only one of its many manifestations, not all of them obvious. How many divisions does the Pope have? Stalin asked ironically when, as is well known, the French Popular Front’s minister of foreign affairs had asked him to ease pressure on Russian Catholics, claiming that this would help his government improve relations with the Vatican.
For the moment, as the debate on strategic autonomy begins to take hold, the EU, like the Vatican, does not have ironclad divisions either. But in the face of force, Victor Hugo warned, we are left with the right. It will be worth remembering this when the European Parliament election campaign begins in a few weeks’ time, and certain political and media artillery begins to thunder against the EU, accusing it of ineffectiveness and democratic deficit.
© This article was originally published in Diari de Girona
