As European commission president, Barroso's failure to deal with the eurozone crisis has left the EU on life support
As a member of the European parliament with a Greek and German background, I have always felt European above all else. It pains me to see how divided the European Union currently is and how little is being done by its leaders to tackle the crisis and overcome these divisions.
The eurozone crisis has already had tragic implications for countless citizens across a number of member states. Dissent and dissatisfaction continue to rise, fuelling a new wave of populism and extreme nationalism throughout Europe. If things do not change soon, there is a very real danger that the situation will unravel so fast, there will be no time to react. This downward spiral has a name: José Manuel Barroso. As the president of the European commission, the executive body of the EU, his role is the most important in this crisis – and yet he seems incapable of doing anything other than barely keeping the EU on life support.
Over his two terms, Barroso has proven to be a commission president who stands in stark contrast to the bold French visionary, Jacques Delors. Where Delors was able to inspire faith and trust in the idea of the "European project" and in the betterment of the people living within its boundaries, Barroso oversaw the functioning of the established machinery, barely providing the grease where needed. He failed completely to secure support for a new constitution when times were better. He has not been able to rise to the occasion when times got rough.
The delays and ping-pong approach that have characterised his response to the euro crisis from the very beginning are inexcusable. It is incredible to hear Barroso repeat now, four years after economists first brought it up, that Greece's crisis was not a local problem but a European issue deeply intertwined with the single currency, the euro. He never pushed for sustainable reforms and his ambitious Lisbon agenda never really took off. The current decisions to promote growth do not inspire much confidence and soon unemployment will be a larger problem than the banking crisis was.
As the euro crisis worsens, dissent is slowly growing among the college of commissioners, who do not want to be responsible for the severe consequences of this mismanagement. The European parliament has already lost all respect for Barroso, something illustrated by the numerous debates at which he has been confronted with empty seats in the plenary chamber. In another anecdotal account, European parliament party leaders nearly fined MEPs in order to force them to attend Barroso's state of the union speech. Can anyone imagine President Obama facing the very real possibility of speaking in front of an empty Congress?
Meanwhile, the suicide rates in southern Europe go up every day. There has been no well-thought-out plan, no exit strategy for the euro crisis. The commission portion of the troika continues to act on behalf of the European stability mechanism owners instead of the European Union as a whole. This means that the commission is giving up its pivotal role, catering instead to the needs of the most powerful member states. Matters have only been made worse by the virtual deadlock of the looming German elections. But can the EU really wait until 22 September, especially knowing that the chances of Angela Merkel not being re-elected as chancellor are close to zero?
Barroso only has a short time left to leave a positive legacy to the European Union with his last actions in office. He should position himself unequivocally against the austerity measures and push for closer monitoring of what the troika prescribes and enforces. At the very least, the European parliament should be actively involved in this monitoring so that the actions of the troika have some democratic legitimacy.
Furthermore, instead of contesting the IMF on its recent admission of errors on the Greek bailout as commissioner Olli Rehn did, Barroso should openly admit that mistakes were made and formally apologise to the Greek people. Only then can the commission move forward with credibility.
Above all else, Barroso's remaining actions in office must be in the interest of the European Union as a whole, not its most powerful member states. He must truly push for "more Europe" and not let these calls be empty rhetoric. Where is the fiscal union that was discussed so intensely one year ago?
Europe is becoming more and more divided by the day. Lasting solutions demand courage and boldness. I urge Barroso to act now and let this be his legacy. Otherwise, he will be remembered as the man who let the European dream die on his watch.
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