In defence of Eurocrats

Oh what will Brussels stick its nose into next? Having regulated the curves of cucumber, the crookedness of carrots and the listing of what must be declared on cosmetics packaging, it’s now forcing us torender up our good old 60W incandescent light bulbs (the 100W were outlawed twoyearsback, 75W bulbs from last year) – and threatening to take on energy-gobbling coffee machines too.

With the euro stumbling, recession looming, unemployment rife, disaffection among young people becoming intolerable and the Mediterranean awash with turmoil, part of the European press just had to let rip, with great broadsides of irony, against the Eurocrats and their relentless desire to regulate every aspect of our lives without consulting us or, indeed, without any mandate.

Harmonising certain aspects of our environment is also what some 33,000 "Eurocrats" in Brussels are good for (just for the record, the City of Parisemploys 40,000 people). But indeed, it is the Member States that have agreed to this, since it is they who approve the treaties that establish the competencies. Just as in national ministries, it is technocrats who develop the measures, which are then adopted by the executive (the Commission) and approved by the representatives of the people (the Council and/or Parliament). As some readers have pointed out, the process is no less democratic than it is at national levels.

That the EU is clumsy in its communication, both in terms of the form as well as – so often – the timing, has been fairly well explained: its declarations come across as cold, peremptory and formulated in most cases by persons (starting with the commissioners) that we are not familiar with and who do not speak our language.

Is a pedagogical effort perhaps in order on their part? Undoubtedly. Is greater transparency in the procedures for developing and adopting Community measures desirable? Certainly. But let's stop blaming the EU for doing what it has been created to do, among other things, by our own dear representatives.

Translated from the French by Anton Baer