DutchNews.nl,
Monday 04 March 2013
Neelie
Kroes on the similarities between the European Commission and the College of
Cardinals.
An
international college in a European capital is poised to make a decision that
will have consequences for the whole world. It is taking place behind closed
doors according to mysterious and incomprehensible rules.
No, it’s
not the European Commission in Brussels. This time it’s the college of cardinals
in Rome. The cardinals will not be voting on budgets, the euro crisis or
legislation but on who will become the new pope.
Obsolete
I think
this opaque, male-dominated institution is completely obsolete. I realise that
many people see the European Commission as a similarly obscure, power-crazed
group of people, also dominated by men and operating according to rules that no
one understands.
The people
on the commission do understand the how and why of what they are doing and for
them the importance of what they are doing is a given. To the cardinals the
procedure is crystal clear but to the faithful on Saint Peter’s square it
couldn’t be less so.
Granted,
the Commission and the European Council of Ministers can move in mysterious
ways as well. But as a former MP and minister, I know very well that the
national policy-making process can be pretty obscure, too, and so widens the
gap between government and citizens.
Twitter
Now the
internet has made it so easy to access information, I find it incredible that
such closed structures remain in place. The question is: how much longer? When
will the first reality soap about the conclave hit the internet? The pope is on
twitter already. Will the cardinals follow suit? ‘Is nothing sacred’, I hear
people cry.
The church
may profit from mysticism and mystery but the European Commission is much
better off without it. Closed structures lead to distrust and distance and
erode the public engagement we need so much.
The
Commission, compared to other government bodies, is relatively transparent and
accessible. But this doesn’t translate into a better understanding, perhaps
because the institutional rules in the EU are too complex.
Consultation
It’s not
the public consultation rounds that are to blame. Every Commission proposal is
subject to several consultation rounds which, by the way, take up far too much
time. But we are not reaching the right people and that is something that
concerns my colleagues and myself. The decisions made in Brussels don’t just
have to be explained and understood. People should also have the opportunity to
have a say and express their support or criticism.
The social
media make this possible. I receive questions, messages and opinions 24/7. This
is no longer a nice fringe activity, it is an integral part of politics and
governance. We are moving towards a culture in which transparency and
accountability are the norm. That includes the European Commission. It won’t happen overnight. We are not going
to see the election of a new pope according to the number of followers on
twitter any time soon but the social media will inevitably change even the
administration of the church. Isn’t the twitter symbol a white dove?
Amen.
Neelie
Kroes is european commissioner for the Digital Agenda
In this
photo provided by the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore
Romano, cardinals attend
a meeting at the Vatican, Monday,
March 4, 2013. (AP Photo/L'Osservatore Romano, ho)
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