Mr Romano Prodi's shuffle of top officials in the European Commission is welcome if overdue. Recent failures in management and communications strategies had begun to affect the Commission's overall credibility at a sensitive time in the EU's affairs - unjustifiably in view of its record but understandably in the light of political and public perceptions of its performance.
The appointment of Mr David O'Sullivan as Secretary General of the Commission and of a new chief spokesman should strengthen the institution, make it more capable of managing reform and change in its own structures and restore its primary role of policy initiation. Mr O'Sullivan takes up the most senior position to have been occupied by an Irish official; but he is of course a European civil servant, not an Irish representative, owing his elevation to widespread appreciation of his administrative, political and networking skills. Nevertheless his appointment will reassure the EU's smaller states, Ireland included, for which the Commission's role as guardian of the treaties and policy broker is a vital part of the EU's institutional architecture and balance. He faces a tough task in implementing reforms to restore morale after last year's resignation of the Santer Commission and the somewhat uncertain start made by Mr Prodi and his colleagues.
That uncertainty has more to do with presentation than substance. Mr Prodi is not short of political vision. He has taken a courageous position on EU enlargement, particularly on the need to include the Balkan region in European integration. He has continually emphasised the necessity for a more adventurous approach to the current Inter-Governmental Conference than most governments are willing to contemplate. He has shown a deep commitment to a Europe of values at a time when such a vision is needed to consolidate current political changes. And he has overseen a work programme for the Commission that is now running relatively smoothly.
The trouble has been that as Commission president Mr Prodi has been alarmingly prone to tactical accidents and occasional political gaffes. As a result he has not communicated his political programme as effectively as he should have been able to do, or to manage its implementation in an optimal fashion. These personnel changes are intended to address such shortcomings and have a good likelihood of doing so. Not all the member-states share a uniformly positive attitude towards the Commission. Many want to see its role reduced and that of the member governments enhanced; they are willing to use whatever opportunities present themselves to accomplish that.
It is to be hoped these changes will restore the Prodi Commission's political and public standing. They certainly signal his determination to continue in office, despite several malevolent rumours to the contrary. The Commission plays a crucial role in the EU's balance of governance, which is much to the advantage of the smaller member-states. On his record so far Mr Prodi deserves the second chance this shuffle gives him and the institution he leads.