IRELAND: Politicians from different parties strongly defended the role of civil servants in the legislative process of the European Union during a sitting of the National Forum on Europe at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham yesterday.
Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Labour delegates to the forum were responding to critical remarks from Danish MEP and long-time opponent of EU integration Jens-Peter Bonde who spoke on "The Future of Europe".
He complained that civil servants had excessive influence and were undermining the role of elected representatives. "It's junior civil servants in the cabinet of the commissioners who run the commission," he said. Decisions were being made by "civil servants in small rooms" and, in the process, the European Parliament and national parliaments were being "sidelined".
This drew a sharp response from Fianna Fáil Senator and former civil servant Martin Mansergh who said: "Civil servants, who work very hard for us, do not deserve the sort of detraction that they have been subjected to this morning. They are partners in democracy with elected governments [ in] control and I have no problem whatsoever that technical decisions be largely delegated to experts and civil servants."
Labour's Niamh Bhreathnach,recalling her time as education minister, commented: "I wouldn't dismiss as easily or as speedily as you have the work of the civil servants, who work within a framework. They don't just get up on a Monday and decide on a new plot." She asked Mr Bonde "to really reconsider the remarks".
Fine Gael's Nora Owen also rejected Mr Bonde's comments: "All democracies have solid civil service systems." Some African states which lacked that kind of back-up from officials were "top-heavy" in their decision-making procedures. Mr Bonde's views on the role of European officialdom received support from former Dublin MEP Patricia McKenna who said that "junior civil servants" were controlling "the whole thing". Forum chairman Senator Maurice Hayes, formerly a senior official in Northern Ireland, said he was "very moved" by the way delegates had defended a profession "of which I am actually still very proud".
Green Party Councillor Deirdre de Búrca said she was surprised to see Mr Bonde described as a "Eurosceptic" in the official press release from the forum. "Is this a fair description?" she asked. The forum chairman responded: "It wasn't intended as a derogatory appellation but we will in future try to avoid labelling people."
Addressing the forum, Mr Bonde complained about provincialism in the media which meant that, in his own country, members of the national parliament received vastly greater coverage than MEPs like himself.