EU: "Third pillar" Commissioner grilled
01 January 1995
Ms Anita Gradin, the new Commissioner from Sweden appointed to look after "third pillar" issues in the European Commission was closely questioned by MEPs. Ms Gradin appeared before the Committee on Civil Liberties and Internal Affairs plus other MEPs from the Budgetary Control and Womens' Rights Committees. The MEPs questioned her - like the other Commissioners in Jacque Santer's cabinet - on her knowledge of her portfolio and her views on the inter-institutional relationship between the European Parliament, Commission and Council. The Chair of the Committee, Antonio Vitorino (Portugal), reported to the President of the European Parliament, Mr Hänsch, that:
"The Committee had to note that Ms Gradin's answers were vague. They did not show a solid knowledge of the themes. It was worrying that this shortcoming also concerned the institutional relations between the Union institutions, and the way the "third pillar" is evolving".
Although the Chair recognised that she was from a new EU state and her experience suggested that Ms Gradin would commit herself to the issues for which she was responsible, the Chair added that Santer himself should undertake, on behalf of the Commission, overall responsibility for reporting to parliament on developments in the "third pillar".
During the three hours of questions Ms Gradin announced she would be making a round trip of the capitals; that she was "frankly opposed" to the liberalisation of the law on drugs, although she conceded that "refusing liberalisation was not incompatible with a preventive and therapeutic approach"; she undertook to press for women's equality; on Europol, committed herself to do everything possible to get it through while stressing the need for democratic control; but was too cautious for MEPs on the issue of bringing "third pillar" matters within the remit of Community institutions (the Commission and parliament), indeed appeared to support inter-governmental decision-making on policing, immigration and the law.
At the end of the hearing it also emerged that Ms Gradin did not know which departments would be working for her - she would find out when she got to Brussels. In fact there is at present a very small department of less than ten people looking after "third pillar" issues in the Commission.
European Insider, Brussels, Belgium.