"The European Union has its own language that European politicians understand. Inside the 'EU bubble,' there is a variety of terms that sound like alien-speak to the average listener. In this series, we are going to decode these terms one by one, so that you too can understand the EU’s special language—and this will give you a greater understanding of the EU itself." The next term is “faceless bureaucrat”
While this term may sound irrelevant because it does not deal with EU inner workings, it is part of the EU speak vernacular which emerged from critics of EU policy making procedures. Often you will hear leading EU politicians use it to rebuff the ideal. So what is a faceless bureaucrat and what happened to their face?
The European Commissioner is comprised of Commissioners from each of the member nations and these go on to either be picked for major roles by the EU Commission president called “Portfolios’ and some are bumped up to Vice Presidents depending on the importance of their portfolio.
The idea that they are faceless means that they are not elected but nominated by their nation’s prime ministers. Thus no one is familiar with their face because they have not put themselves out to be known This term originated in the UK during the contentious European integration debates of the late 1980’s and early 1990’s surrounding the negotiations of the Maastricht Treaty. Eurosceptic factions within the UK media and political establishment popularized the imagery to characterize the expanding regulatory apparatus of the European Commission as remote, technocratic, and detached from traditional national democracies.
Faceless bureaucrats were further described as “in expensive suits” I remember seeing Andrew Duff walk into the room, and I couldn't believe it—he was impeccably dressed. It perfectly described the image of the high-level EU official. I heard the term, but then I saw it, and now I’m explaining it to you. This was such a criticism that you will sometimes see EU politicans address this as they speak on a related topic that talks about how the EU functions.
Understanding these terms is essential to knowing how the EU functions. In this series we will decode these terms one by one. I’m Erika Grey, be sure to hit that subscribe button, let me know your thoughts in the comments and we’ll see you in the next report."
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