Athens 12 April 2005

1
The New Dynamics of Brussels New Commission,
New Parliament, 10 New Member States. A New
policy?

• Athens 12 April 2005

2
Introduction

• The players
• Council (Member States)
• Commission
• Parliament
• The issues
• Growth
• Europe in the world
• Maritime
• The processes
• The power play
• Multiple stakeholders
• The Constitution
• The outcome

3
The players The Council
From 1 May 2004, 15 10 25 Member States, 500
m inhabitants

• Shifting balance of power. More
• Diverging interests
• Need for coordination
• Coalition building
• Focus on maritime
• Focus on growth and competitiveness

4
The players The Commission

• New since November 2004
• President Barroso (P)
• Transport Barrot (Fr)
• Environment Dimas (Gr)
• Competition Kroes (NL)
• Fish Maritime Borg (Ma)
• Liberal/Centre Right
• Business friendly
• Governance
• Large in numbers, cumbersome
• Language issue
• Lost power struggle with EP

5
The players The European Parliament

• Elected for five years in June 2004
• Number of MEPs extended to 786 in total
• 162 from new Member States
• New Transport Tourism Committee
• Intergroup on maritime
• Strengthened after political showdown with the
  Commission in Nov 2004
• Approximately same political composition as
  before

MEP STERCKX Coordinator LIB
MEP JARZEMBOWSKI Coordinator EPP
MEP PIECYK Coordinator ES
6
EP political composition 2004-2009
7
The issues

• Revived Lisbon agenda brings focus on growth
  and job creation (Spring Council March 2005)
• Barroso Commissions main programme focus on
  Better regulation agenda. Is regulation
  necessary? Where yes assure good quality
  rules
• Why an EU at all? Pooling of sovereignty
  resources. Focus on Europe in the world.
  Relationship to the IMO
• A new Maritime agenda? The Borg process

8
The process The power play
Commission (The executive)
-
Commission
EMSA

0
European Parliament (Direct election)
Council (Member States)
9
The process Multiple stakeholders
25 EU Delegations
640 Ass NGOs
The EU Machine
178 EU Embassies
331 Private corp.
180 European regions
120 EU Law firms
2000 EU journalists
150 EU consultancies
10
The process A new EU Constitution?

• The Constitution amalgamates all existing
  Treaties
• Simplify structures and procedures. More majority
  voting, longer term presidencies, restricted
  number of commissioners, more power for
  Parliament.
• Referendum in France 29 May. UK 2006?
• So what if it fails?

11
The process

The EU is and will continue to be a complex
system of checks and balances aimed at ironing
out conflicts of interest between Member States
and between various cross-national interests in
more than one Member State. At any time, the EU
agenda will be a reflection of what Member
States are willing and keen to allow it to be.
The EU system is aimed at providing a framework
for decision making by compromise.
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The outcome

• A much more complex and multi faceted EU has
  emerged
• As consequence internal and structural challenges
  and contradictory trends are more visible
• Focus on structural reform (with or without new
  Constitution), better legislation, growth, job
  creation and competitiveness
• More than ever the EU is about decision-making by
  compromise.
• The maritime industrys challenge is to tag on to
  current processes and making itself part of the
  final compromise.

13
Some conclusions

• The industry should (continue to)
• Work with, not against, EU involvement in
  maritime affairs
• Identify allies within the EU processes, join
  forces with them and suggest well founded
  solutions to decision makers at all levels
• Look upon an active EU supporting its cause as a
  main goal for its lobbying

14
Final remark
Of course we know from experience that external
events may change it all. But industry is well
underway changing its parameters for cooperation
with regulators. Lets keep up to good work and
join in on the Commissions new and forcefully
expressed goals Better not more regulation.
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