Stripping Away the Eurocracy

From the desk of Chris Gillibrand on Fri, 2006-12-08 14:35

Stripping away the bureaucracy now has an entirely new meaning. From today’s Times:

Europe’s second-highest ranking commissioner was fighting to save his political career last night over pictures showing him naked on a beach with his chief of staff. Günther Verheugen, who is married, is shown – wearing only a baseball cap – with his newly promoted aide, Petra Erler, on a nudist beach in Lithuania. [...] Controversy over Mr Verheugen, 62, who is also Commissioner for Enterprise and Industry, is raging in Germany, three weeks before the country is due to take over the European Union presidency.

Media coverage has completely overshadowed the plans of Angela Merkel, the Chancellor, for the presidency, such as membership negotiations with Turkey and revival of the European constitution. [...]

Focus magazine is expected to publish the photographs on Monday. Mr Verheugen strenuously denied any intimate relationship with Ms Erler after Focus published earlier pictures of his Lithuanian holiday in which the couple could be seen holding hands. “I believe the question of with whom and where I spend my holiday in August is a purely private affair, which does not concern anyone other than my wife who was informed about it,” he said.

European Commission chief Barroso stands by the Commissioner. Surely he wasn’t on the beach as well.

Fortunately, cleanliness, which is essential to nudity, is promoted on Lithuanian beaches by the EU’s Blue Flag programme!

EU Salaries(and benefits!)

Submitted by Flanders Fields on Sun, 2006-12-10 19:37.

If you are interested, the pay of general EU personnel seems substantially higher than that of the average European. The basic pay doesn't include some extra benefits available(other than those found by Mr. Verhuegen). Here is a page listing the pay:

http://www.mpo.gov.mt/eu_salaries.html

This apparently is from a webpage of the government of Malta, but I suspect the same standards apply.

Old news

Submitted by Luc Van Braekel on Sat, 2006-12-09 13:42.

This thing about Verheugen and his secretary is not new. I read it first on The Brusssels Journal on October 22nd in an article by Daniel Hannan, more than 6 weeks ago.

Not in the pubic interest

Submitted by Paul Belien on Sat, 2006-12-09 12:41.

As Berlaymonster says: publishing the Verheugen-Erler pictures is not in the pubic interest.

Kofi Double Dips Too

Submitted by Flanders Fields on Sat, 2006-12-09 11:43.

This article at Newsmax, http://www.newsmax.com/scripts/printer_friendly.pl?page=http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2006/12/3/200324.shtml

shows that not all double dipping is confined to the EU. Their parent has that problem, too.

I was censored (and promptly

Submitted by Amsterdamsky on Sat, 2006-12-09 11:35.

I was censored (and promptly left) at a Fistful of Euros blog for comparing her to Goebbels but I think it is accurate. The REACH initiative will be the death of european business.

Exchange of Views

Submitted by Flanders Fields on Sat, 2006-12-09 10:06.

This much of her remarks seem appropriate(from the html version of her speech re the consequences of the lack of a constitution):

Margot Wallström
Vice President of the European Commission responsible for Institutional Affairs and Communication Strategy
The consequences of the lack of a European Constitution
Constitutional Affairs Committee of the European Parliament
Brussels, 22 November 2006

Reference: SPEECH/06/731 Date: 22/11/2006

HTML:	EN
PDF:	EN
DOC:	EN

SPEECH/06/731

Margot Wallström

Vice President of the European Commission responsible for Institutional Affairs and Communication Strategy

The consequences of the lack of a European Constitution

Constitutional Affairs Committee of the European Parliament
Brussels, 22 November 2006

Mr Chairman,

Honourable Members,

It is always a pleasure to meet with you and have an exchange of views. And there is more than one issue on which we can engage in a discussion today:

She may just be interested in promoting dialogue and giving transparency to the public as to the true nature of the work of the European Commission, a goal she states further within. The balance of her speech is classic Eurobabble with phrasing whose significance is determinable with the consensus view of the Eurocrats and self serving chat. Thanks for the links, Mission. I join you with your assessment.

Verheugen in the nude

Submitted by Kurt Lundgren on Sat, 2006-12-09 05:47.

I look forward to se Mr Verheugen naked and in a baseball hat; that must be a wonderfull sight.

This is good reporting and I want more of the same, for instance some photos of our own Margot Wallstrom; just one picture of her in the bath or on the beach would make her our new PM at once. All the swedish people should love that. And why not, Goran Persson, naked and in i baseball hat, it would be at world success, though some may believe it is from TV and Animal Planet...

Mad Margot Wallstrom

Submitted by Mission Impossible on Sat, 2006-12-09 08:40.

If my eyes are not deceiving me (re. photo) she is a peroxide blonde. Not that attractive either.

For more on Mad Margot read here

Her photo go here

How many more blonde, middle-aged, dowdy feminists do we have running the EU???

Who Cares?

Submitted by Kapitein Andre on Fri, 2006-12-08 20:28.

I was under the impression we were here to discuss socio-political matters of relevance to Europe, not to be the tabloids' echo...

Don't stand behind me

Submitted by Flanders Fields on Fri, 2006-12-08 19:29.

"European Commission chief Barroso stands by the Commissioner".

Barroso knows not to stand between Gunther and Petra-then again Barroso might enjoy that.