Madam, – Claims made in these pages that the retention of 27 Commissioners in the EU will maintain unnecessary bureaucracy are, from my observations, unfounded.
I recently finished an internship at the EU Commission in Brussels, where I co-organised a conference on the Lisbon Treaty. Catherine Day, secretary general to the Commission and the most senior Irish EU civil servant, spoke on the panel in favour of the amended treaty. She noted that in her experience, working with a Commission of 27 was not more difficult than with a smaller number.
Indeed, a rotating system of representation could potentially politicise the Commission, and skew EU politics depending on “whose” Commissioners were in office.
It is also a myth that the EU has insufficient portfolios for 27 Commissioners. To give an example, later this year a directorate general for energy is due to be created – an area which needs EU-wide co-operation, research and investment, and which will warrant a separate Commissioner. Lastly, keeping 27 Commissioners gives smaller countries a measure of equality and a voice of their own.
In terms of Ireland’s position, securing the retention of one Commissioner per member-state was a crucial diplomatic victory. It showed how countries such as France and Germany will compromise and recognise the concerns of smaller nations regarding EU integration. The changes to the Lisbon Treaty which Ireland has brokered will, in my opinion, protect our autonomy and interests within the EU. – Yours, etc,