BBC News Online: World: Europe

Jacques Santer: Out of his depth?

The resignation of all the EU commissioners is a heavy personal blow to the Commission President, Jacques Santer.

Often described as "genial" and "affable", Mr Santer is now being seen by many European commentators as a man who was simply out of his depth.

A Catholic and Francophile, the 61-year-old Santer is devoted to his native Luxembourg. He was a lawyer and civil servant before entering politics.

Before his unexpected appointment to the EU Commission, he served as finance minister and later prime minister of Luxembourg, as well as holding posts at the IMF and the World Bank.

When the controversial Frenchman Jacques Delors left the EU's top job in 1994, Mr Santer was a compromise choice.

The British prime minister of the day, John Major, vetoed the appointment of Jean-Luc Dehaene of Belgium whom he saw as too much of a federalist. Mr Santer was viewed as a conciliator, and hence a welcome contrast to the pugnacious, tough-talking Mr Delors.

"I was not their first choice," Mr Santer remarked later in an interview. "To become president (of the Commission) was not my first choice either."

'Doing less but doing it better'

Many of those who had backed Mr Santer's candidacy came to regret their choice. At the very least, he has been uninspiring. His slogan - "Doing less but doing it better" - has been derided.

Now he stands accused of much worse. An independent panel of experts has - by implication - accused him of presiding over a corrupt and nepotistic regime.

In one of the most damning sentences in its report, the panel declares: "It is difficult to find anyone who has even the slightest sense of responsibility."

Santer's weak management has left the European Union in disarray at a crucial moment in its destiny - as it seeks to reform itself in readiness for enlargement and the launch of the single currency, the euro.

Now, as a discredited EU seeks to put its house in order, the issue of who should head the Commission - its top executive body - is high on the agenda.

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