Remainer MPs, this woman runs the EU’s Single Market you love so much
Can you even name her?
Credit: EU Commission
The woman we have pictured above is in charge of the EU's Single Market. She is seen sitting in Vienna last year at one of the countless meetings she attends, few of which seem to relate directly to the priorities of her role.
Brexit Facts4EU.Org Summary
The EU’s Single Market and its Commissioner
- The EU’s Single Market Commissioner can put forward legislation about the Single Market
- Remainer MPs can’t, even MEPs can’t
- She was appointed with no experience in industry or commerce
- But she does have a Masters degree in Iranian Studies from a Polish university
- And she is paid over £250,000 per year for her expertise – more than Boris Johnson
How well is the EU’s Single Market doing?
In 2017 The EU's current Commissioner for the Single Market admitted that :
“The Single Market – this jewel that is all too often taken for granted – does not function properly for services”
- EU Commissioner for the Single Market, 2017
Given that services represents almost 80% of the UK economy, and that the Single Market has been going for over 25 years, this was an extraordinary admission.
She has had five years to fix it. This is the Single Market which was described by the OECD in their damning 2016 report as being: “unfinished and stalled”. (This report came out just before the Referendum, but somehow the BBC forgot to mention it.)
When we last checked, last year, the European Court of Auditors reported that the error rate for the Directorate’s transactions was more than double the threshold set by the Court.
There is, however, no doubt whatsover that the newest members of the EU in particular have benefited enormously from being able to sell their goods into other EU countries – with the UK being a major recipient of these imports.
Three questions for Remainer MPs
- Can you even name this woman?
- When have you ever seen her in the UK?
- Did you know the Single Market doesn't work for almost 80% of the UK economy?
We don't think these are unreasonable questions.
So who is this woman and what does she actually do?
Perhaps we should finally put Remainer MPs out of their misery. The EU Commissioner responsible for the Single Market is Ms Elżbieta Bieńkowska, from Poland. Poland receives twice as much net EU funding as any other EU country.
This woman is unelected, so what did she do to qualify for this job?
Ms Bieńkowska was chosen for this role by President Jean-Claude Juncker. He chose her; she has never been elected to an EU position. Given that she has no direct business experience, can anyone imagine why he chose her as his Commissioner for the Single Market, Industry and SMEs?
Her background:-
- Education : Masters in Iranian Studies, Dept of Oriental Languages
- Jobs : Previously only employed in Polish local and national government
- Job title: EU Commissioner - Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs
- Experience: She has no direct experience working in commerce or industry
Credit: EU Commission
In our years of research we have found it difficult to discover what Ms Bieńkowska has actually been doing in respect of fixing the broken Single Market. What we can tell you is that this month most of her tweets seem to have been about the EU’s space programme (Galileo), the EU Defence Union, as well as tweets in Polish about her home country of Poland.
The Ministry of Lies
Last week Ms Bieńkowska was in Prague at a space event, where she talked about the EU’s space programme and specifically the EU’s satellite navigation systems, Galileo and EGNOS. Here is what she tweeted on Tuesday:-
“Today, both #Galileo and #EGNOS are global players. And we should not forget that we have achieved all this in 3 years.”
Er… not even remotely close, Ms Bieńkowska. The project was initiated in 1994 – 25 years ago – and is still not complete. It is also seven times over budget.
Observations
The unelected EU commissioners who direct your life
Paid far more than the Prime Minister, the public have a right to know about the unelected EU Commissioners who hold massive power over us. They affect the daily lives of 508 million people. Would you ever have voted for them?
In the case of the EU's Single Market Commissioner don't you find it just a little surprising that you haven't seen Ms Bieńkowska on your TV screens, given all the talk about the Single Market during the Referendum campaign and in the three years since? She's held the job for five years. Can you recall a single BBC interview with her?
Secondly, if membership of the Single Market is so important, how come this woman hasn't been visiting the UK on a regular basis, promoting it? After all, the UK is the second-largest economy in the whole of the EU.
Furthermore, given that the Single Market has been panned for its performance in the services sector - where the UK excels - how is it that this woman hasn't been trying to put that right? Or if she's been trying, how is it that we don't know about it and how is it that she's failed?
EU Commissioners have immense power. Some readers might question whether Ms Bieńkowska has the necessary experience and knowledge to wield it effectively and wisely.
What do Remainer MPs actually know?
We have published many detailed articles with facts and figures and simple charts to debunk the myth that the Single Market benefits the UK. Our facts are incontrovertible as they come from the EU itself.
We once again ask Remainer MPs what – if anything – they really know about the Single Market. And if they can’t quote any facts, why aren’t mainstream journalists asking them “why not?”.
If readers are starting to get angry, prepare yourselves. Take a guess who Ms Bieńkowska took over from as Commissioner for the Single Market?
Yes, none other than a certain Monsieur Michel Barnier. M’lud, we rest our case.
Finally, on a happy note
To end on an upbeat fact, readers may like to know that Ms Bieńkowska will be stepping down on 01 November, when the new EU Commission starts.
THANK YOU to the readers who responded yesterday to our initiative to fight back for Brexit. We are very grateful for your support but we still need more. May we once again appeal to readers today to donate something? We think this initiative is going to be very effective, and we had more positive communications from other Brexit organisations about it since we wrote the article yesterday.
[ Sources: EU Commission on Bienkowska | EU Commission Bienkowska CV | EU Commission Bienkowska other commercial interests | EU Commission salaries guide | European Court of Auditors | OECD | Various news sites in Polish | Civitas study on EU salaries ] Politicians and journalists can contact us for details, as ever.
Note: The EU doesn't publish full income for its Commissioners. We calculated Ms Bienkowska's from numerous EU documents and other sources.
Brexit Facts4EU.Org, Sunday 15 Sep 2019
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