Another key factor in the Irish vote was people’s fear of losing their country’s EU commissioner. According to the Lisbon treaty, after November 2014 the number of commissioners should correspond to two thirds of the number of member states. On today’s EU membership figures, that would make 18 commissioners from 27 countries. The European Council could alter this provided EU leaders are unanimous. But so far these leaders have been trying to persuade everyone that the new rotation system will allow every member state to have their own commissioner for 10 years out of every 15 years. I myself cannot believe this will work. The Lisbon treaty clearly states that the commissioners will be chosen on a rotation basis that reflects the demographic and geographic weight of the member states. In other words, smaller countries will have to wait longer for their turn than the bigger ones. 

We all know, of course, that the Commission is supposed to be completely independent, and that EU commissioners should neither seek nor take instructions from any government, institution or other body. We also know, however, that in practice they are widely considered to be advocates for their home nations, protecting national political interests and business. Thankfully, there was a growing acceptance at the mid-year European Council summit just after the Irish vote that keeping one commissioner per country would be a key component of any new deal.

Some argue that a Commission with 27 members (or more) is too big and too slow. But let’s compare it, say, with the government of France which has 38 ministers for a country of 64m people. How large and bureaucratic is that, Monsieur Sarkozy? The European Union has a population of around 500m, so there’s a big difference! Despite this, the current rules laid down by the Nice treaty require a cut in the size of the Commission next time around. No exact number is specified; it will be up to the European Council to decide unanimously on a figure below 27 - unless a new treaty comes into force before June 2009.

The EU has overcome repeated crises in its 50-years history, and I believe that a way will be found out of this one too. But the solution must avoid aggravating the people’s distrust of Europe and its institutions. Only half of our citizens trust the EU at the moment, according to the June’s Eurobarometer survey and this is real cause for concern. If the people of Ireland - and other smaller member states too – want their own commissioner, then that is something we must keep in mind. The EU can gain legitimacy in many ways and a commissioner from every country is one way to increase the sense of public scrutiny. It should definitely be part of the solution to the EU’s latest crisis.