Single title
In 2009, shortly after Klaus was appointed as Secretary-General, a member
of his close entourage confided in me that the new boss was spending a lot of
time reading ‘books about U.S. politics’. There are Secretaries-General and Directors-
General and other high administrative office holders who do a perfectly
good job of managing their administrations, putting out fires when necessary,
but otherwise maintaining institutional rhythm and business as usual. Not Klaus.
There has always had to be a higher ethic and a higher logic, and the dynamics
that flow from those. The higher ethic was and is, fundamentally, the European
integration process. But for Klaus, that cannot be an undirected evolutionary affair at the whim of events. It is a moral good and, as such, must be cherished
and maintained on course, primarily by the European institutions, for, following in best Jean Monnet tradition, Klaus has always been aware that nothing will last without them.
of his close entourage confided in me that the new boss was spending a lot of
time reading ‘books about U.S. politics’. There are Secretaries-General and Directors-
General and other high administrative office holders who do a perfectly
good job of managing their administrations, putting out fires when necessary,
but otherwise maintaining institutional rhythm and business as usual. Not Klaus.
There has always had to be a higher ethic and a higher logic, and the dynamics
that flow from those. The higher ethic was and is, fundamentally, the European
integration process. But for Klaus, that cannot be an undirected evolutionary affair at the whim of events. It is a moral good and, as such, must be cherished
and maintained on course, primarily by the European institutions, for, following in best Jean Monnet tradition, Klaus has always been aware that nothing will last without them.
