Governments taking over the European Parliament too?

How are we to understand the latest news about the coming President of the European Parliament?

EurActiv writes ‘Face-off between Italians, Poles over Parliament presidency’ (26 March 2009):

http://www.euractiv.com/en/eu-elections/face-italians-poles-parliament-presidency/article-180656

The leader of the EPP-ED parliamentary group, Joseph Daul, is reported saying:

"We have two candidates: Mario Mauro, who has been designated by Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, and Jerzy Buzek, who was nominated by Polish PM Donald Tusk."


***

Are there no limits to the greed of heads of state or government at the expense of a voice by citizens in EU affairs?

A great number of national leaders have effectively gone back on the principle they enshrined in the Lisbon Treaty to let the European elections decide the following President of the Commission, thereby paralysing the political parties at European level and depriving the elections of even a modicum of pan-European public attention.

Prime Ministers now seem to be interfering in the European Parliament’s internal business, that of electing its own President.

And Daul ─ the current leader of the largest group ─ seems to accept this as meekly as a lamb.

Good grief!


Ralf Grahn