Power to the people?

Palli has just written an interesting entry on the EU commission - everyone's favorite part of the EU to hate. While I do most definitely agree that the commissioners' mandate is comparable to that of an ambassador, the case is of course that they have been entrusted with great executive and administrative powers on the behalf of the Union per se. I may just be rambling, but perhaps the Commission is the most typically of all the EU-institutions? The commissioners certainly are strange political hybrids between ambassadors and independent powers. They are diplomats whose links home have been severed upon their appointment and subsequent approval by the EP.

On one side, they epitomize the oft-mentioned democratic deficit of the EU, on the other hand, not at all. Their mandate is no less democratic than that of any other political appointee - such as a cabinet member or as Palli mentions, an ambassador. Yet, they are not accountable to their respective heads of state, as they represent the Union and no single member state. As the Union still derives its authority from the sovereign constituent members, this is highly problematic. As far as I know, they are not allowed to take orders from their home governments, take their home nation's interests into consideration... or in any other behave as ambassador. And yet, they are each drawn from one country. I guess this is the new democracy; participation has replaced representation as a political ideal*. The EU member states aren't represented in the Commission, but they do participate.

* Note: "No taxation without representation" was a slogan in the 13 colonies, who were taxed without having seats in the British parliament. Nowadays, everyone is talking about involving, including and 'participating' people. Makes me wonder..