God save the… European Union?

Civitas, 15 July 2009

By Nicola Di Luzio

The only symbol the opening ceremony lacked was the figurehead; all the other trappings of a fully-fledged parliament were in place. And in fact, first on the agenda this week for the 736 newly elected MEPs was the election of that figurehead: yesterday Jerzy Buzek, former Polish PM, was announced as the President of the European Parliament.

This was not a hotly contested post; last week, two potential candidates – British Liberal MEP Graham Watson and Italian Conservative MEP Mario Mauro – withdrew their candidacies, leaving Polish centre-Right MEP Burzek the only feasible winner. Far-left Swedish MEP Eva Britt-Svensson did run, but an agreement struck between the EPP and the Socialists, the two largest groupings in the parliament, restricted her vote to just 89 compared to Buzek’s 555. The new president also had the support of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe, the Greens and the new anti-federalist group, the European Conservatives and Reformists. Under the agreement he will serve for two-and-a-half years before making way for a centre-left president.

Why the enthusiasm for a job which holds no real power? The President chairs parliamentary sessions, represents Parliament at summit meetings and international events, and has his or her own cabinet; despite this, the ability to make policy is limited. It does, however, carry great prestige.

This is where the interest lies in yesterday’s election: Buzek is the first politician from an East European country to hold one of the bloc’s big posts. Partly motivating Warsaw’s campaign to have him elected were the complaints it faces from within Poland that former communist nations are underrepresented in the EU. This is therefore a symbolic victory. Poland’s minister for Europe said, “the fact that Buzek can become the president of the European Parliament is proof that enlargement of the EU has been a resounding success,” and support for the plan even went as far as seeing deputies from the Green Party promising to support him despite his centre-right political alignment.

Mr. Dowgielewicz, a political ally, explained, “If this time there were no appointment of somebody from a new member state, it would be very difficult for people to swallow. Each summit of EU leaders opens with a session with the president of the European Parliament. This president of the Parliament will speak Polish. Some people will say that this is just prestige, but sometimes you need prestige.”

Dowgielewicz’s words are a reminder of the importance of symbolism in matters of national pride – which is why the nature of the Parliament’s opening was so controversial. In fact, eurosceptics accused federalists of ‘hijacking’ the ceremony, using motifs of European statehood, such as the anthem ‘Ode to Joy’, even though they were officially dropped after the rejection of the EU constitution by French and Dutch referenda in 2005.

The presence of the troops who raised the flag – twice the size of the national flags surrounding it – also sparked criticism. They were from Eurocorps, a ‘force for the European Union’ created in 1992 and composed of Germany, France, Spain, Belgium and Luxembourg. Not only do many see the force as an expression of European federalist ambition, but in addition their inclusion was “politically explosive” (Roger Cole, of Dublin’s Peace and Neutrality Alliance) in light of the coming Irish referendum on the Lisbon Treaty, to take place on October 2nd.  Ireland is neutral, and fears of “militarism” played a major part in its rejection of the Treaty last year.

The outgoing parliament president, Hans-Gert Pöttering, tried to defend their inclusion, saying, “Soldiers are part of the defence of our values of human rights, democracy and the law […] We do not want a European superstate — we want a European Union that is strong because no country alone can defend its interests […] We respect the identity of our regions and our villages and counties.”

However, on the same day he also suggested that the main groupings try to ‘freeze-out’ ‘anti-Europeans’ in the Parliament, and prevent their voices being heard. Such a strategy is likely to be neither appropriate nor workable for Buzek, given that this is to be the most eurosceptic parliament the Union has ever seen. Perhaps this was on the mind of the UKIP MEPs, who responded in kind during the ceremony by trying to drown out the EU anthem with a hearty rendition of ‘God Save the Queen.’