Prodi's new team

摘要

"I am not embarrassed to suggest that, sometimes, the answer to the concerns of a disillusioned European public is not less Europe, but more." Romano Prodi, the designated head of the new European Commission, which faces a confirmation vote by the European Parliament on September 15th, does not mask his ambitions. His "priorities"—to rid the commission of corruption, reform the way it is managed, win more powers for the parliament, enlarge the European Union to the east, stabilise the Balkans, forge a common European foreign policy and complete the single market—would make even Jacques Delors, his empire-building predecessor-but-one, feel breathless. Excellent that Mr Prodi should take as his starting-point the apathy and wariness Europe's citizens show towards the institutions their leaders are busy constructing for them. But the impulse behind his answer ought to worry even enthusiasts for the European project.