Leftist MEPs have begun campaigning against the appointment of Finland’s former prime minister Jyrki Katainen to a vice-president post in the European Commission.
Barbara Spinelli, a member of the European United Left group, sent a letter to MEPs urging them to oppose Katainen if “they want to be credible in the eyes of the citizens they represent.”
In the letter, reported by the website EurActiv, Spinelli accuses Katainen of seeking to “drastically restrict workers’ rights and aim at weakening the essential role played by trade unions.”
Instead, the MEP calls for a tax on financial transactions and on carbon, in order to raise funds for an EU investment plan.
Budget-deficit Taliban
Meanwhile, the Socialists and Democrats, the second-largest group in the European Parliament, also oppose the choice of Katainen for the position of vice president for jobs, growth, investment and competitiveness.
“Katainen has given a face to the impoverishment of Europe,” said the vice chair of the S&D group, Enrique Guerrero Salom.
The Socialists and Democrats oppose the conservative Katainen having more power than the socialist Economic Affairs Commissioner Pierre Moscovici.
”It is not acceptable to give responsibility for growth and employment to someone who has been like the Taliban when it comes to the budget deficit,” Salom said. “We want to make sure Katainen won’t have veto rights over Economic Affairs Commissioner Moscovici.”
Salom insisted he is not questioning Katainen’s competence, but claims the reputation of Finland and Katainen make him unsuitable to hold the post.
Clear steps
Appointments to the 28-post Commission have not all been finalised. MEPs will vote on whether to accept the nominations of Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker in the coming weeks, with Katainen appearing before a panel of committee chairs on October 7 to put the case for his appointment.
At the hearing, Katainen will be expected to set out clear steps for promoting economic growth, as well as to explain how he will secure the Commission’s promised 300 billion euros’ worth of inward investment, as well as lay out how the money should be used.
Abominable snowman
Katainen’s own European People’s Party group have also called for him to produce more policy specifics than he has done so far.
”The challenge of growth is that it’s a bit like the abominable snowman. Everyone talks about it but hasn’t seen it, except perhaps the odd footprint. So Katainen probably will be grilled about how he’s going to bring the different elements together to create growth,” fellow EPP parliamentarian Sirpa Pietikäinen said.