“Most of our MEPs think more about foreign policy, it sounds nicer, there are more headlines, there is something to talk about, but the problem is the powers and competence of the EP.” Parliament has no power in foreign policy. They can pass resolutions, condemn, discuss, but real decisions, sanctions, other actions in most cases depend on the member states.
Our MEPs are active in foreign policy. Some say that the foreign affairs committee is a gossip committee, but those who work there claim that it is a very authoritative committee that shapes the European agenda on the subject of world politics”, E. Labanauskas remarked on the “Gyvenu Europa” program of “Žiniai Radio”.
According to the journalist, basically the European Union and its institutions are an extremely complex structure. Probably no one can know all the European processes.
“Even God himself would get lost in the corridors of Brussels,” says the interviewer. However, the MEPs themselves really like to show how hardworking and moral they are, but they emphasize far from the most important aspects of such work. “Here is one member of the European Parliament, who is already in his third term, claims that he has submitted the most resolutions and proposals, which means nothing. Any comment on the Internet gets more attention than a statement by a member of the European Parliament, to say in one or two sentences that one or another resolution needs to be adopted”, E. Labanauskas points out.
People are convinced that those MEPs who are seen in the media the most often work in Brussels, but here too it should be taken into account what the politician really communicates about.
“Petras Auštrevičius and Andrius Kubilius work a lot in foreign policy, but we come back to whether it has a real impact, whether the European Union accepts sanctions because of it. Maybe so – it affects the agenda, the debate, but it doesn’t have a big impact. If a member of the European Parliament were to work in the Industry and Research Committee, where, for example, the decisions of the Green Course are considered, the politician could push for amendments that could be useful for Lithuanian industrialists and scientists. There are real laws, not non-binding resolutions,” argues the journalist.
In the Lithuanian delegation, we have politicians whom no one sees, hears or knows, but there are also those who are active, it is true, mostly only in foreign politics.
“The European Parliament can be divided into several parts. The first part – those who work hard, know how to work, do work that is not very visible. For example, they meet in committees to insert a sentence or two into the legislation that would suit their country’s interests. Then there is a part that works only in foreign policy. There are still those who come, do only what they need, no more, no less, that is, attend committee meetings, maybe speak. And there are still some people that no one sees. They may come to the plenary sessions, which is why they receive a daily allowance,” the interviewer notes.
The affairs of the European Parliament are not particularly interesting to the Lithuanian public, and the parties still do not shy away from adding distinguished athletes, famous academics, and persons without any political, economic or legal experience to the Brussels list. Until now, the prevailing narrative in Lithuania is that people are sent to Brussels to rest, however, if society could set higher standards for politicians, we could all expect faster and more decisions from Brussels.
Today, we are represented in this institution by 11 politicians – Petras Auštrevičius, Liudas Mažylis, Rasa Juknevičienė, Aušra Maldeikienė, Andrius Kubilius, Valdemaras Tomaševskis, Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, Juozas Olekas, Viktoras Uspaskichas, Stasys Jakeliūnas and Bronis Ropė. On June 9, we will elect those who will represent Lithuania for the next five years.
Tags: MEPs recognized passive
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