understanding the current situation of the EU

It is definitely an interesting moment in EU's history. There are plenty of uncertainties and the more is uncertain politically and institutionally and dependent on some other uncertain, the more scenarios are possible for the coming months. I just read a very good article (The new European Commission) which explains just how complex is the current state. Anyone trying to get it all together will appreciate this piece:)

Perhaps a side topic, but definately related to the moment's unsettled issues, is something I have not paid attention to, i.e. the number of commissioners who participated in the latest EP elections, and the implications of this, in the event they got reappointed for commissioner. This section I'll just paste in directly, as it's really thought provoking...

Of particular interest this year, however, was the fact that a number of commissioners put themselves forward for June's EU elections as high-profile names on their national party lists. According to EU rules, if commissioners choose to return to their home countries to engage in active campaigning, they must leave their positions. However, if they simply attach their name to a party list, they are not required to step down.

As a result, a commissioner could, in theory, head an electoral list in their member state and gain many votes due to his/her high profile, then decide to not take up their seat in the Parliament, thus passing their seat to the next person on the list, all the while continuing to work for the EU executive. Indeed, this is precisely what happened as Commissioners Kuneva, Hübner and Reding topped the poll in Bulgaria, Poland and Luxembourg respectively.

Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, president of the Party of European Socialists (PES), told EurActiv that "some commissioners will use their position to promote themselves as candidates. That is wrong, and the president of the Commission should insist that anyone who does so must stand down".

Strongly rebuking this practice, Rasmussen said although "commissioners are party-political," they "need to keep their official duties very separate from their political activities," adding that he "can name, shame and complain" if he believes "commissioners are abusing their positions or taking advantage of their president's party-political sympathies".

[via Euractiv]

[edit] Although, since I just read that Lewandowski was chosen for the Polish Commissioner I guess, at least in the case of Poland, there won't be dissapointed voters who will realise they have given their support to a person, who has turned down to represent them, and passed on the mandate to the next in line....who doesn't necessarly have to be bad...just wasn't the one voted for...
Let's see what happens in Bulgaria and Luxembourg.