The grander the better

摘要

We all have different ideas about what qualifies as a big job. Some would say running the country is the biggest challenge. Others might point to being England football manager. Heading the customer relations department at British Airways could well get a mention right now. Whatever your views on the above, most people would agree that European transport commissioner ranks as quite a bigee. As this issue's interview with current incumbent Jacques Barrot points out, the transport commissioner is ultimately responsible for everything from bicycle lanes to satellite positioning over an area stretching from Arctic Finland to the Greek islands and the west of Ireland to the Black Sea. Far from being daunted by the scale of his domain, however, Barrot is a man with a plan. In fact he is a man with many plans and unless we never leave our home, we are all part of his vision of a cleaner, greener, more mobile Europe, watched over and measured precisely by the benevolent eye of Galileo, the EU's own version of GPS.