The Transient – In Brussels, they will hear you scream – Euractiv

In Borgen, the award-winning Danish TV collection of the 2010s, the unfavourable picture of a profession within the EU establishments was within the highlight, with “In Brussels, nobody can hear you scream” considered one of its well-known quotes.

The same notion has additionally lengthy existed in Germany, the place Europe was thought of a retirement residence for veteran politicians. Hast du einen Opa, schick ihn nach Europa – when you’ve got a grandpa, ship him to Europe – a generally used phrase says.

However the tide appears to be turning with Europe taking part in an more and more distinguished position within the nationwide political panorama and the profession paths of many high-ranking politicians. Whereas a posting in Brussels was once virtually a political loss of life sentence, it will possibly now be seen as a political kickstarter in lots of regards.

There are a lot of current examples of this pattern, from former EU local weather boss Frans Timmermans turning into the chief of the socialist-green alliance within the Netherlands to former commissioner Mariya Gabriel, who turned considered one of Bulgaria’s two rotating prime ministers.

However you don’t essentially need to be a commissioner to safe a high job nationally, as seen in final week’s appointment of former Renew Europe head Stéphane Séjourné as French overseas minister. And he’s not alone, as the present overseas ministers of Poland, Slovenia, Latvia, and Lithuania have been all beforehand lawmakers within the European Parliament.

The same pattern may also be seen in Spain, the place many ministers within the new Pedro Sanchez cupboard have a background within the EU establishments.

The Socialist Vice-President and Minister of Financial system Nadia Calviño – the main candidate to move the European Funding Financial institution – beforehand labored as deputy director basic within the Fee’s DG COMP for monetary companies, mergers, and antitrust.

Equally, Pablo Bustinduy of the left-leaning Sumar get together, a part of the ruling coalition, ran within the EU elections in 2019 and labored within the European Parliament as a coordinator for his get together.

In fact, this isn’t the case in each member state. In Austria, for example, the conservative ÖVP had hassle discovering an acceptable candidate to interchange First Vice-President of the European Parliament Othmar Karas, who will go away politics for good.

After a number of candidates turned down the provide, the ÖVP settled on Monday on Reinhold Lopatka, a former get together chief whose greatest political years are already behind him.

However Austria appears to be extra of an outlier right here.

Even in Denmark, which has been infamous for opting out of many necessary EU insurance policies, a job within the European Parliament is immediately perceived as a political alternative.

That is even mirrored in Borgen itself. The final season that aired in 2022 ends with the protagonist, former prime minister Birgitte Nyborg, heading to Brussels to imagine the position of the Danish commissioner – thereby referencing the EU’s rise in significance even in widespread tradition.

*Charles Szumski contributed to this story

The Roundup

European Fee President Ursula von der Leyen instructed a European Parliament plenary on Wednesday she was “assured” of getting Hungary to drop its Ukraine support veto at a decisive summit on 1 February, however Budapest’s new alliance-in-the-making might nonetheless complicate issues.

NATO members and defence industries should step up commitments to fulfill the army’s wants to arrange for all eventualities as a result of we’re “in an period during which something can occur at any time”, the alliance’s army committee chief, Dutch Admiral Rob Bauer, stated on Wednesday.

With an awesome majority, the European Parliament adopted its negotiating place for the EU guidelines on nationwide money owed and deficits, regardless of Inexperienced fears that it might result in renewed austerity and destabilise the European Union.

The European Parliament objected to elevating the restrict of the utmost amount of residues of the insecticide thiacloprid, banned within the EU from 2020, on greater than 30 merchandise coming from third international locations.

To take care of on-line integrity in an election-heavy 12 months around the globe, tech leaders gathered in Davos debated on Tuesday night the current rise of AI and its implications for deceptive campaigns and misleading content material within the run-up to polls.

Emmanuel Macron proposed throughout a press convention on the Élysée Palace on Tuesday new guidelines for reducing youth display screen time in a bid to stop the spreading of conspiracy theories on-line.

European Fee Vice President Margaritis Schinas is about to finish a tour of the 5 Central Asian international locations upfront of an ‘Buyers Discussion board for EU-Central Asia Transport Infrastructure’, to be held in Brussels on 29-30 January.

Whereas tobacco use is declining globally, Europe is residence to one of many highest percentages of tobacco use, notably amongst girls and youth, based on the World Well being Organisation (WHO).

Final however not least, for extra coverage information, take a look at this week’s Inexperienced Transient and the Well being Transient.