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European Union: Europe´s First Government Crisis

© Peter Weber

With the resignation of the European Commission led by Jacques Santer, the European Union has finally experienced, after 41 years, its first real government crisis. Mr. Santer, a former prime minister of Luxembourg, fell over allegations of fraud and mismanagement against some of his commissioners, accusations which were confirmed by the report of an independent commission engaged by the European Parliament. To resolve the crisis of the European executive, a decision of the European Council, the assembly of the prime ministers of the partner states, was necessary. Under the chairmanship of German chancellor Gerhard Schröder, Europe's prime ministers met in Berlin and nominated their former Italian colleague Romano Prodi as the next President of the Commission. Prodi will take his office after the European elections in June. Guiding Europe into the next millennium, he will also have a leading role in the necessary reforms of the European institutions.

Earthquake in Brussels

The earthquake had been announced, but when it finally arrived it was still devastating. Allegations of fraud and mismanagement against some commissioners in Mr. Santer's 20-member cabinet had been on the table for some time. Still, Mr. Santer and his colleagues stumbled on for several months, trying to reach at least the regular end of their mandate with the European elections in June.

In the eye of the storm was the commissioner for science and research, Mrs. Edith Cresson. The French lady, who had served her country in an already quite embarrassing experience as prime minister for less than a year under president François Mitterand, was indeed the black sheep among the twenty masters of a billion-dollar budget containing government aid for mountains of butter, wheat, cheese and meat and lakes of milk and wine. Among other allegations Mrs. Cresson is accused of having given a job in her department to her personal dentist. Another commissioner held unworthy of his job was Spain's Manuel Marin, while Ireland's Padraig Flynn was involved in a scandal back home.

Allegations of fraud

For some time the main opinion was that the resignation of Mrs. Cresson would probably have avoided a greater scandal, but since she refused and Santer found no measure to force her to step down, the cabinet had to respond as a whole, involving even the commissioners with an excellent reputation. In January the European Parliament had already threatened to use its only available sanction and vote the whole commission out of office.

With his clumsy responses to the public and to the MEPs, Mr. Santer was not able to calm the storm and give new guarantees. While the press campaign against the commissioners continued the reputation of the Commission as an institution risked being badly damaged.