« The saddest moment of Martin Schulz’s life came at the age of 24. He was an unemployed drunk with no girlfriend and no high school degree. He contemplated suicide. Now he is Europe’s No. 1 socialist reaching for the top job — as president of the European Commission in Brussels. Schulz is leading Europe’s center-left parties into parliamentary elections on May 25 and his agenda is bold: Curb the power of banks, institute higher taxes on the rich and create a more centralized government system for Europe with a common fiscal policy.
But even if he doesn’t win outright, he may be about to change the balance of power between the European institutions for good and help create something like a United States of Europe. Currently polls see his alliance of socialist parties trailing slightly behind the conservatives led by Luxembourg’s long-time Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker. But Schulz’ core demand is shared by his contender: The winner of the European Parliament elections, both say, should have the right to claim the position of President of the Commission.
That’s no technicality. It’s a huge deal.
In the past, the governments of Europe alone chose the President. Yet following the 2009 Treaty of Lisbon, the President must now be ratified by the popularly elected parliament after being nominated by the heads of individual governments. That procedural change makes the parliament powerful for the first time, and could even result in an ugly standoff, should the governments deny the voters’ will.
Schulz plays — and relishes — the role of the average Joe challenging the rich and powerful.
Should Schulz and Junker prevail, it could presage a permanent shift of power away from individual, national governments to the European Parliament, which would turn the EU from an association of sovereign states into one supranational state, with possible consequences for everything from tax policy and European defense to the global balance of power.
In the past, the European Parliament, nestled in the picturesque town of Strasbourg on the French side of the German-French border, was largely a debating club, its members recruited from fat cats or second-rate politicians.
In Germany, the term “Herr Schulz” is synonymous with Mr. Average, but this Mister Schulz, born into a mining family in a the small town near Aachen, is anything but. With little formal education, the 58-year-old is a tough nut for physical scientist German Chancellor Angela Merkel to handle. Unlike his contender, the hugely experienced former PM Juncker, Schulz has no administrative experience aside from a few years as mayor in a town of 35,000. Rather, he’s been a dyed-in-the wool parliamentarian, known best for his passionately held left-wing views. Some call him a left-wing Schulz.
Schulz worked his way up the ranks of the Social Democratic Party in Germany while also managing a small bookstore in his hometown. In Strasbourg, he earned respect even from opposing benches, fighting to raise the profile of a parliament rarely taken seriously by the European public. Parliament thanked him by electing him their president two years ago. »
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