Grey mediocracy dominates new EU Commission

The hearing of the candidates for the new EU Commission has finished, with the exception of the replacement candidate for Rumiana Jeleva. The left-liberal Süddeutsche Zeitung asks how the lacklustre new EU Commission plans to address its own problems, let alone those of the world: "With few exceptions the new Barroso Commission is the very picture of mediocracy. ... By all indications Barroso has no interest at all in a self-confident and cooperative European body, and really only wants to increase and consolidate his own power. ... The Commission is the executive of the EU and must function without a hitch. But it is also the locus of European pursuits and aspirations. It is now up to the European Parliament to make sure that this body does not run aground on the reef of Barroso's system, by keeping a close watch on Barroso after the hearings, and by driving him forward with its own legislative proposals."

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