Op-Ed:Whoever wins Premier Race we must hold them to account
Op-ed by James Mizrachi-Roscoe , Councillor for United Duchies
Europe faces a choice that is important . Calvin Kunhert whatever result he gets will have made an impact. I do know him fairly well with him being a fairly big power in the PSD , which incidentally is an EPA member who almost unanimously voted against him . He certainly is not in any way aligned with the ELSS however that portrayal may be claimed.
The choice is a choice over how Europes funding use is dictated and who controls the giving out of money in the nations. Do we trust nations to do it and run the process with local knowledge or centralise it in Europolis. I can see a case for a mix of both with the overall goals being set in Europolis then a locally appointed or elected board to actually run the doling out of EU funds in the country . Whatever I believe we need more localism in the EU EDA especially if funding is to rise, a project by project basis for the EU office and subject to the the Commissioners vote for every little project is just not sustainable and even 100 million Euro projects are small fry in context of the proposed at least 35 billion Euros. Even if Juncker wins I believe that national boards and an allocation method will prove to be needed to deal with the increase in projects being funded and the amount of funding just like many in the ELSS were proved right when we criticised how little the EDA was given before the budget was proved a joke when it couldn't even fund a Solar Power Project worth just 2 Billion Euros of investment in Azrekko . We said it would happen and it did yet those setting the budgets and in the EPA accused us of obstructionism for refusing to support the budget and called us fearmongers'. They have yet to appologise to us and Europe for that failure.
I have run the biggest supermarket and conglomerate in Europe one most people in Europe We leave decisions every day to national CEO's we don't vote on every little supermarket at HQ and have the leadership in United Duchies approve it. Why? Because its impossible , thousands of decisions and investments like that cannot possibly be voted on by only 2-3 people and don't have time to be approved by the board every time. We have to let the board decide on the big picture. You want a way to make a organisation inefficient make the heads vote on every little decision of a few million Euros like supposedly Juncker plans with the EDA , I ask him how does he and fellow commissioners if elected plan to approve every application including every little 500,000 Euro bike land or research grant for a new technology worth 5 million Euros for example with just 3 of them . I warn him now how it will go having run businesses for my life , it will mean applications take months , nations will see national funds or funds like the GEF can react faster or even just foreign aid programmes are more efficient and money won't be claimed. Then they will say nations haven't claimed so it isn't needed when in reality it will be nations just gave up. He must delegate being to a centralised office in Europolis or to national funding boards and organisations with people appointed or elected by the nations , that is the only way to run such a large budget worth 10's of billions of Euros.
However that is the past and we must move forward we do not know who will win it could be either but Juncker is in with a fair shot of winning to say the least. If he does and if Kunhert wins we must hold them to account. We need to make sure the EU is truly useful and meaningful and plays the key role in fighting climate change and quickly and sustainably developing all nations and helping those with less GDP per capita who need more help to catch up , especially nations with high poverty figures or dependent on high carbon economies at present. This means money must be spent , no more joke surpluses of 66% being returned to the nations, you don't run big organisations taking a big amount just in case and giving back 66% in a surplus payback , that just makes you less effective and wrecks havoc on national projections for budgets and budget plans as often spending is decided a year in advance, most nations have already budgeted in the EU contributions into their plans. Basically if the EU is to work and be relevent we must spend money , the EDA needs 35 Billion to 65 Billion Euros per year and there is no excuse but to give this to the EDA when the project increase in budget even with Strathae is significant.
Imagine 65 billion Euros helping the poor, helping those who have the most difficulty transitioning and funding a green industry boom. Imagine getting Carbon to net zero by 2040 potentially even sooner than that. Seem unrealistic? Well it is if it doesn't get the full funding.
So whoever wins lets push for at least 80% of the budget to be spent , the EDA to get no less than 35 Billion Euros but preferably far more and push for an actual concrete plan and policy with the commissioner making it clear how he plans to split powers between the EU and its nations and where. We need no more wishy washy politics and politicians but clear practical policy and actual honesty and less gimicks in politics that makes Europeans distrust the EU so much(which is a shame because the EU can do so much if it is run the right way) and more clear support for a more equal Europe that focuses in levelling up those nations with less resources and GDP per capita. We must make sure the new comissioners achieve this and get us on this path, for failure to do so will only harm the EU and Europeans even further. I came into EU politics to serve and to make the EU work and promote an EU that can actually do stuff in the EU while respecting nations and differences between nations, we must make sure these are the values and policies that get implemented. I will play my part if 80% of the budget is not spent in any proposal and the EDA doesn't get at least 35 Billion Euros I will vote against it on behalf of our great nation not because I dislike the EU or want to wreck it but because I want an EU that works and has the resources to do great things for all its members.