Barroso to set out priorities

Brainstorming session gives commissioners a say in speech

Members of the European Commission have been taking part in a seminar to prepare the content of the “State of the Union” speech to be given by European Commission President José Manuel Barroso. 

The commissioners went yesterday (1 September) to the Val Duchesse chateau in Brussels for two days of talks on the main political challenges of the coming months – including a review of the EU's budget for 2014-20 and the changes caused by the entry into force of the Lisbon treaty.

The seminar started with a discussion of the institutional and political changes introduced by the Lisbon treaty. The main issues were the Commission's relations with other EU institutions, and the effects on international treaties.

The Lisbon treaty gave the Parliament the power to block international treaties and it has used this power forcefully, most notably by rejecting a deal on sharing bank-transfer data with US authorities.

There have also been disagreements with the Council of Ministers over which institution takes the lead role in negotiations, which has implications for the climate-change talks to be held in Cancún, Mexico, starting in November.

The second session yesterday focused on the Commission's political priorities, with each of the commissioners given a chance to express their views on what Barroso should include in his State of the Union speech.

Commissioners also discussed industrial policy, based on a number of papers presented by Antonio Tajani, the European commissioner for enterprise and industry.

Today (2 September) commissioners were to debate the forthcoming review of the EU's budget for 2014-20 – a discussion extending to questions of how the budget is financed and which policy areas to spend it on.

The Commission is planning to present an options paper by the end of September. Janusz Lewandowksi, the European commissioner for budgets, has indicated that the paper will include ideas for a direct tax to finance the budget – a suggestion strongly criticised by several member states, including Germany and the UK.

Negotiations on the future budget will be very tough as the member states that are net contributors will want to limit their contributions, while net beneficiaries will seek to maintain their share of receipts. The Commission will present formal proposals for the 2014-20 budget next year.

A spokeswoman for Barroso said the seminar was a chance to “take a fresh look at the priorities” of the next months and the year ahead. She said that the budget review would be “difficult” and needed to be prepared “thoroughly”.

On the Lisbon treaty, she said the seminar would look at how the new improved institutional set-up was working to ensure that the Commission was “making the most” of the new arrangements.