CDU man Brok is to become Juncker’s special representative for the USA
Between the EU and Donald Trump’s government, there is a constant stress. Now a confidant of Commission President Juncker is set to improve relations with the USA. Not everyone in Brussels is happy about it.
Most of the members of the European Union were astonished when Christian Ehler from Brandenburg spoke up at one of the last plenary sessions before the summer break. So far the Christian Democrat in the Strasbourg Parliament had not been noticed for great speeches. Now, however, Ehler was concerned to condemn the assassination attempt on an American senator in the state of Virginia and to convey "our wishes for improvement." Ehlers' colleagues were not interested in what the brief intervention had to do with the work in the European Parliament.
The truth is quite simple: the man simply wanted to show that he exists. Ehler is the head of the American delegation of the European Parliament, but so far the presidency of Donald Trump has not led to this man becoming known to a larger group of people.
But now Ehler feels threatened - and has every reason for it.
Jean-Claude Juncker wants the EU to focus more on the USA. The President of the Commission is planning to create his own office: A "Special Representative of the President of the European Commission for Transatlantic Relations", the official title, so as to ensure that relations with the USA with Trump do not completely dry up.
Juncker also has a candidate in mind: the job is to go to his old buddy, the longtime German European parliamentarian Elmar Brok, 71. The deputy from East Westphalia-Lippe was once before discussed as an EU ambassador in Washington. Now his bulging address book will help to make the European view on world events heard in Washington.
Basic question of division of powers
It would be urgently needed. Juncker has met Trump several times, but good news was rare. In spite of all the conviction, Trump left the UN Climate Treaty. When the US recently threatened to impose sanctions on European companies that deal with Russian energy companies, Juncker said sharply, "We must defend our commercial interests from the US as well," he said.
Any contact with the US should be welcome, but the idea of their own person for the job is not loved by all. Already some time ago Juncker flashed the proposal to Antonio Tajani. Like Ehler, the President of the European Parliament is worried that the Parliamentarians’ group that maintains relations with the USA will be devalued. In addition, he fears that Brok's role model could find numerous imitators in the nameless army of MEPs. By what right, for example, should he deny the Social Democrat a role as a representative in Russia when a conservative gets the US job?
The European External Action Service is anything but enthusiastic. After all, the EU has an expensive Ambassarod in Washington, and the chief diplomat David O'Sullivan is a man who understands his job. In addition, there are more fundamental questions of the division of powers: Can a parliamentarian give instructions to employees in the Commission? And who pays when Juncker's US man flies to Washington?
But despite all the oppositions, the idea is not dead, on the contrary, Brok's chances for the late career upgrade are now better than ever.
This is mainly due to the fact that the driving force behind Juncker's proposal is a man who has never been disturbed by the wind of the opposite direction – head of his cabinet, Martin Selmayr.
Selmayr not only considers Brok a big plus when it comes to close connections to America, but above all he wants to do the CDU man a favor. Selmayr owes his career to Brok. At first, Brok promoted the aspiring lawyer as an employee in the Bertelsmann office in Brussels, which Brok lead alongside his parliamentary chancery. When Juncker, in the spring of 2014, sought an organizer for his unpromising campaign for the European elections, Brok brought his protege Selmayr into the discussion. The job of chef du cabinet followed almost automatically.
Envy in one's own ranks
Now Selmayr could return the favour.
Earlier this year, Brok gave up to David McAllister his position as long-time head of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, one of the few positions that promise visibility beyond the parliamentary chamber. While McAllister has met with US senators since then, or is establishing peace between hostile Albanian parties, Brok has to content himself with the position of the Brexit commissioner of his grouping, rather a consolation prize.
In addition, many deputies from the own ranks of the CDU / CSU people have begrudged Brok the new post for a long time.
Many were annoyed that Brok, as a perpetual guest in talkshows, drew the to himself the small attention given to Brussels, and others envy him the short communications path to the top of the commission.
But since Brok's most important opponent among the German CDU parliamentarians has been able to look forward to a career break, the resistance crumbles: Herbert Reul recently left for Düsseldorf to become Minister of the Interior in North Rhine-Westphalia, his successor, the young trade expert Daniel Caspary nurses a relaxed relationship with Brok. Together with Selmayr and law experts, he worked out a solution that he presented to German CDU parliamentarians this morning in Strasbourg.
Brok is therefore to work voluntarily and, unlike originally planned, without any colleagues. The budget for his travels is to be submitted by the EPP Group, where the budget for trips to the USA has been increased in the meantime in order to meet the increased demand for discussions with Washington. It is also helpful that Brok recently received a new mandate from the Committee on Foreign Affairs: he is to produce a report on transatlantic relations, a project that offers plenty of opportunities for meetings in the United States. Now the matter is again with Tajani, the President of Parliament who has yet to agree.
An experienced European parliamentarian has no doubt that Juncker and Brok will end up in the end. "The following rule applies in the EU," he says, "even if you have never heard of a body, one thing is certain: Elmar is in it."
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