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The deal had been brokered three months before the actual elections: Barroso will stay in Brussels for another 5 years. During the European Council Summit on March 19, the French, German and Italian governments officially expressed their support to his reappointment. The British, Portuguese and Spanish governments did so months ago. What is striking is that leaders like Sarkozy showed little enthusiasm for the idea, but no other “rightist” candidate was acceptable to Member States.

This is surprising as Barroso's policy during his first term in office was one of the worst ever to be carried out from a European Commission President. Under his mandate, three different countries rejected both the Constitutional Treaty and the Lisbon Treaty. He has without doubt failed to justify and promote a new project for European citizens. Indeed, the few significant projects which he endorsed, like the energy-climate package, proved limited when adopted. Barroso's refusal to challenge Member States reveals the prioritizing of personal ambition over serving the European Commission's mission; i.e. the promotion of the general will as opposed to Member States' will. This attitude then reduced the leverage and the credibility of the institution. Finally, let us not forget that in the face of one of the biggest financial and economic crises of the century, Barroso did nothing but procrastinate. An illustrating example is that of September 2008, when the Commissioner responsible for Internal Market and Services, Charlie McCreevy asserted that the crisis was due to an excess of regulation! And yet, despite all that, Barroso will certainly be re-appointed.

Indeed, one would think that with such poor results, the Socialists would seize the opportunity and stand united behind a candidate. But divisions still take hold. The British, Portuguese and Spanish governments’ decision to back Barroso must have dealt a severe blow to their morale. While poor performance and the financial crisis —the product of Reaganian liberalism— should combine to boost ambitions, the European Socialists did not reach agreement on a possible candidate in December or in March. The Head of the European Socialists, Poul Nyrup Rasmussen was the most favored candidate. But as Sarkozy and Merkel decided to support another Dane, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, for the position of NATO General Secretary, the idea of having two Danes leading two international institutions would be immediately refused.

It’s slowly dawning on the European Socialists that they have little chance to win the election and no one is ready to tarnish their political career by accepting a possible setback. Therefore, the European Socialists are clearly demonstrating that they have forgotten the core of the political mission, that is, to give meaning to their political commitment. Thanks to this political cowardice, the principles of democracy will once more not apply to the EU. While strictly speaking the EU is not a democracy, there is no excuse for not being democratic. One of the basic tenets of democracy is accountability. People have the opportunity to vote for a majority at the European Parliament, and according to the unwritten rule, the Member States will appoint as Head of the European Commission, the one who corresponds to the majority vote.

It’s no secret that European citizens feel they have no influence on the EU political process. By taking away all choice, the mistrust towards the European Commission and the EU in general will only increase. The EU needs to be perceived as a legitimate body and it is not Barroso's policy of less transparency and more legislation that will do so. Increasing the legitimacy of the EU means providing people with the opportunity to influence the political process. For this reason, the Socialists must designate a candidate before April 24th. Even if they do not win the election, having a political figure representing their party will contribute to increasing the legitimacy of the EU against the charge of the democratic deficit.

Marek Kubista is a MA European Affairs student at Sciences Po Paris.