"To a vast majority of our constituents, we are all seen as 'Brussels' and we are all held accountable for failures or disappointments, regardless of who is responsible," Timmermans told the European Parliament. "We need to show by very practical results that the EU and its institutions are not self-serving but are there to serve our citizens and member states," he said in his opening speech. Timmermans -- the Dutch foreign minister who espouses "football diplomacy" as a way of bringing people together -- said that the EU could in fact be more effective by taking a smaller role in people's lives. "The EU should do what can only be done by the EU and should leave to member states what can be better done by them," he said. To reinforce the message, Timmermans, who will rank second only to Juncker in the new European Commission, the EU's executive arm, said he would review existing policy proposals awaiting implementation and withdraw any found unnecessary. He said there had to be "greater transparency within the Brussls bubble," promising to push through an accord on a register of lobbyists in the EU. Brussels is home to the many of the EU's main institutions and to many thousands of lobbyists all seeking to gain an inside track with politicians and officials on a myriad of issues. Source: Agencies
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