By IPS Correspondents
BRUSSELS, Sep 10 2004 (IPS)

Louis Michel, commissioner designate for development and humanitarian aid in the new European Commission will set out his position in the face of some hard questions at the European Parliament’s development committee meeting next month.

Michel, deputy prime minister and foreign minister of Belgium since 1999 was selected last month to take over from Poul Nielson for the new commission term beginning November.

But like the other new commissioners, Michel still has to answer questions about his suitability for the job from members of the European Parliament (MEPs).

The three-hour hearings allow MEPs to “examine the designate’s personal qualifications”, assess their “broad policy approach” and provide an “initial benchmark” for examining the performance of the commissioner.

Based on the outcome of the hearings, the Parliament will proceed to a formal vote of approval for the commissioner during its October session in Strasbourg.

In the run-up to the hearings, each of the commissioners designate is asked to respond to a written questionnaire drawn up by the concerned parliamentary committee.

“MEPs will want to see that Michel is well prepared for his position and although they may not agree with him on every sensitive issue, they are expected to support him,” a spokesperson for the development committee said.

Development groups have welcomed the published questionnaire. Brussels-based non-governmental organisations (NGOs) were not consulted over the document, but Giampiero Alhadeff, secretary-general of the NGO Solidar says the questionnaire “feels like something that development groups would feel comfortable with.”

The hearing will “a critical moment on which initial judgements will be made on their intentions,” Simon Stocker, director of Eurostep, a network of development non-governmental organisations (NGOs) told IPS.

“It is also important, however, that Michel’s closest advisors have the knowledge and experience on these key development issues, as well as the ability to go out and fight vigorously…for strengthening the role and impact of development policy within the EU.”

Michel will also give his perspective on how the EU can help achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Of particular interest to many NGOs will be questions relating to the EU’s security policy and development.

EU foreign ministers endorsed a draft declaration in March that held up counter-terrorism as “a key element of political dialogue” with other countries. The declaration included proposals for “targeted technical assistance” to “priority countries”, and said the EU would introduce counter-terrorism concerns into “all relevant external assistance programmes.”

Alhadeff says he is “particularly pleased” that Michel will be questioned about the coherence and consistency of the Commission’s development policy.

“It is important that Michel says what is going to lead the bloc’s development policy and talks about really big issues such as the war on terror and development policy’s relationship with other EU policies,” he told IPS.

Michel will also answer tough questions on trade. “How do you intend to reconcile the legal obligations deriving from membership of the WTO with the (partly moral) obligation to guarantee the survival of the ACP (79 African, Caribbean and Pacific countries) economies which are heavily dependent on commodities?” he will be asked.

NGOs are largely satisfied with the issues to be raised but they say more probing questions could have been asked about gender issues, children’s rights and in particular Michel’s future relationship with the bloc’s EuropeAid cooperation office, which handles external aid for the Commission.

“Michel will be sitting on top of this huge empire but he will not be in control of EuropeAid,” Alhadeff said. “MEPs should ask what he will do about this difficult situation.”

Since his nomination Michel has pledged to persuade member states to contribute 0.7 percent of their gross national income (GNI) to external aid and concentrate on developing coherent cooperation projects with the “greatest of efficiency”.

Michel has said that improving relationships with the “large international actors for cooperation” will be central to his role.

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