For my book EU Superlobby, I had fantastic contributors. One of them being Frits Bolkenstein: former European Commissioner for Internal Market and Services, Economic and Financial Affairs, Taxation and Customs from 1999 to 2004. Here is what he had to say;
Getting appointed as EU Commissioner was not easy, even though I had already been leader of my faction, a state secretary and a minister. There was resistance from within the government, as well as from the opposition. The Greens went as far as to present a Black Book filled with arguments why I wasn’t the right man for the job.
However, I really wanted to become an EU Commissioner. It was a deliberate and conscious choice to go to Brussels. When I landed in Brussels, the first thing I needed to do was to form a cabinet. This was a tough job since I hardly knew anybody. So I went to the Permanent Representative and asked him for advice. At this early stage the Permanent Representative really helps you out because he has a lot of experience (and contacts) in Brussels and he is able to advise you on who to hire as your head of cabinet. Once elected, the head of cabinet plays a very important role in hiring the rest of the cabinet as he knows all the talented people in Brussels.
He is also important in determining the first policy steps. When I arrived in Brussels I didn’t have a clear political and policy agenda and the head of cabinet helps you with the first sense of direction. I never had the feeling that I wasn’t able to choose the strategic direction of my policies. In fact I always had the feeling that I was in control. In the end everything had to go through me.
The dynamic of the College of Commissioners is very collegial. The political differences tend to fade into the background. Sometimes national differences are prevalent. When you start your term in office, you take an oath to forego your national interests. Some EU Commissioners take this less seriously than others. But in general it is a lot of hard work. And interesting work.
I have fond memories from that period. My biggest project was the Services Directive. It became one of the most fought over Directives in the history of the EU. To be honest, at the time I did not expect the opposition that it received, even though my French colleagues in the Commission warned me of it. Sadly, the origin of the opposition had nothing to do with the Directive. It was Walloon opposition to national policies. Somehow the Services Directive got mixed up in national politics, and that opposition then spread to France. I tried to organise a meeting at the Dutch embassy to speak to the French press about the Directive, but the Dutch ambassador didn’t want me to host the event. So controversial was the directive at that moment in time!
Apart from having a good head of cabinet, I also had a good liaison officer for my relations with the European Parliament. This person negotiated with the parties and MEPs. If I were pressed to give one piece of advice to new EU Commissioners, it would be to surround yourself with good people, starting with a good head of cabinet. Secondly know the rules: ‘He who knows the rules becomes master of the process’.