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The idea of
ghost MEPs floating around the Parliament could come straight
from Dickens' novel
A Christmas Carol.
How may of us would like to see the ghost of Christmas past,
present and future turn up on our doorstep? Maybe for some
colleagues it would be a wake up call, like it was for Scrooge, to
realise what is truly important in life or with the Budget vote
days away some colleagues may think we could learn a thing or two
from Scrooge's careful accounting.
The phantom
figures of ghost MEPs are not creatures of our imagination but in
fact the new MEPs who are created due to the Lisbon Treaty. There
would appear to be great uncertainty over whether the new members
start on the 1st December or start in the new mandate of the
Parliament in 2014. Whoever and what ever their area, they deserve
to know whether they will be serving in this mandate of the
Parliament and if so facilities, offices and budgets for staffing
should be made available for them just as they were for those
starting in June 2009.
The one
certainty we do have is that on the 1st January the Spanish will
take on the Presidency of the Council. The Swedes have worked hard,
seeing the Lisbon Treaty come into force and managing the tricky
situation over positions for the new President of the Council and
High Rep positions. We will see more of their able Europe Minister,
former MEP Cecilia Malmstrom as she enters the Commission hearing
process. For the Commission candidates as they approach their
hearings in the New Year, I don't think there will be much rest for
them over the festive season as they learn their portfolios and
prepare for one of the toughest grillings they will face in their
political careers. The challenges we face from the
financial crisis, unemployment, climate change, international
terrorism and global inequalities are the challenges we all need to
face together. As 2009 comes to an end and the Christmas holidays
approach, I wish everyone a Happy Christmas and a Good New
Year.
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Editorial - December 2009
