Full marks for effort

Date: 25/09/1997

The Commission is normally on its best behaviour when dealing with MEPs. After all, if relations become too frosty, the European Parliament might show its displeasure by zealously tightening the Commission's purse-strings or even by dismissing its President Jacques Santer and his colleagues from their posts.

But even Santer's patience has its breaking point, as German Green MEP Hiltrud Breyer has just discovered. Breyer has been waging a determined campaign to ferret out information from the Commission on Euro-rules for genetically-modified plants. Not satisfied with the answers from Environment Commissioner Ritt Bjerregaard, she tried the simple ploy of retabling her questions.

Santer has now stepped in to end the costly toing and froing. His careful response points out that some of Breyer's questions were actually addressed to her own institution, the European Parliament (“What was Parliament's opinion...?”). Others could hardly expect a reply (Why did the Commission contravene...?”).

He politely insists that it is up to the Commission to decide on the content of its replies, but pays tribute to Breyer's industry - she asked more than 100 questions last year alone.

That record is unlikely to stand for long. On one single day this year Breyer tabled 46. The ball, as they say, is now in her court.