Nick Lee, 19 November 2009
The recent elections for the President of the European Council have once again focused attentions on Brussels – not least at the prospect of Tony Blair becoming the European Council’s new permanent president.
Even for those for those us who work in Westminster, the European institutions remain a distant and poorly-understood shadow on the political landscape. Yet, given the large proportion of UK legislation that now emanates from Brussels, it is critical that we do understand Europe, its work and how we can influence it.
With this in mind, every year the IPT takes a delegation of businesspeople and civil servants over to visit the Council, Commission and Parliament as part of its European Study Programme. This year we took 20 delegates to Brussels for an intensive four-day course on the workings of the EU, with sessions led by officials, MEPs, civil servants and journalists.
For me, as someone who works in Westminster but with a relatively poor understanding of Europe, it was a perfect opportunity to find out more about the institutions that constitute the EU.
The course
Day 1 was spent with UKREP, the permanent representation of the UK government in Brussels understanding the legislative process in Europe as well as the work done by the UK government to influence this process both through the European Council, the European Commission and the European Parliament.
Day 2, spent with the Commission, was an opportunity to learn more about the work of the Brussels equivalent of the civil service and the work of the individual directorate-generals which draft EU directives and regulations.
Day 3, based in the Parliament, was an opportunity to meet a range of UK MEPs, to find out about their work and their perspectives on Europe. Finally, day 4 was spent with the European Council, learning about the structure and workings of this complicated intergovernmental organisation.
Lessons learned
Space limitations preclude a retelling of what was learned on the course here; suffice to say that I was left in no doubt of the potency of the EU, surprised at its effectiveness and relative efficiency and with a clearer understanding of its flaws and weaknesses.
Nevertheless, three general themes may be drawn out of our four-day crash course. Firstly, all the European Union institutions are impressively transparent and open – particularly the Parliament. There is a genuine openness to debate, to opposing perspectives and a willingness to learn. Lobbying – sometimes seen as furtive activity in Westminster – is actively encouraged by open and engaged policymakers and there is an acceptance of the need for proper transparency in all the institutions. Indeed, the level of openness among EU officials should put all of us in Westminster and Whitehall to shame. There is much we could learn from them.
Secondly, the checks and balances in Brussels are surprisingly effective. The picture that emerges is a genuinely consensual, collegial and collaborative approach to policymaking which efficiently captures differing perspectives.
Thirdly, and perhaps most significantly, Europe as a reality bears very little resemblance to Europe as depicted in the British media. There are many reasons for this, and it is too easy to simply blame the newspapers, but this fact does beg the question: what more could we do to communicate the reality of life in Brussels to the wider electorate? If they knew what went on and how much influence the EU institutions have, I have little doubt many more voters would choose to participate in European elections.
What next?
To say that the IPT’s visit to Brussels has converted to me into a dedicated Europhile would be a vast exaggeration. But it did underline that which I have always suspected – that this place is tremendously important, powerful and significant. We ignore it our peril, yet we (Westminster politicians, businesspeople and voters) to often do just that. If we accept the inevitable – that we are an integral part of Europe, and that Europe is an integral part of us – then that is an approach that needs serious reconsideration.
Photos from the European Study Programme are available on the IPT Flickr page.
The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not reflect the views of the Industry and Parliament Trust.
