Brussels consults experts in their thousands
FT.com / Home UK - Brussels consults experts in their thousands
Brussels consults experts in their thousands
By Andrew Bounds in Brussels
Published: February 18 2005 02:00 | Last updated: February 18 2005 02:00
How many experts does it take to change European law? Tens of thousands, it appears. The European Commission has just published a list of the almost 1,700 advisory groups it has set up to look at issues as sensitive as Europe Union-wide business taxation and European citizenship.
In spite of pressure from European parliamentarians it will still not reveal who sits on many of them or what they do.
While many of the bodies in the list were already known about, the sheer number of groups has surprised even Brussels veterans. An initial list of 3,000 was whittled down to 1,684 that were active last year. They are separate from the 1,000-plus standing management and parliamentary committees.
Groups on mundane topics such as elevators and pleasure boats reveal the nitty gritty of making the 25-country single market work.
“We still do not know who they are, what they do, why they do it and how much each one costs,” said Jens-Peter Bonde, a Danish eurosceptic MEP who fought for six years to obtain the list.
The groups are established by the Commission’s departments to review policy, harmonise action by governments or provide expert advice. They include the European Competition Network of national competition authorities, for example, and the economic advisers to José Manuel Barroso, Commission president, whose names are known. The research department alone has about 180, stuffed with scientists discussing everything from nanotechnology to women in science.
Generally, group members include government officials, academics, business executives, lobbyists, consumer groups and charity workers. They are unpaid but receive expenses from the European taxpayer. The budget was €25.1 in 2004 and is expected to hit €30.6m this year.
And Europhiles try to claim that the Commission is no bigger than Leeds city coucil.