I will not go in an in-depth analysis on SWIFT: I have listed some of the excellent ones done prior to today’s vote in a previous post. I will just briefly express my satisfaction at this incredible show of class by the European Parliament, and especially the Rapporteur Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, aka @JeanineHennis (though other MEPs such as Sophia in’t Veld, Jan Albrecht and Alex Alvaro and many other merit to share in the victory too).

Voting against SWIFT is one thing, but doing it so massively and across party lines is even more remarkable, as it shows that legitimate concerns for European citizens can unite the European Parliament in defending them.

One wonders yet again at the clumsiness with which the Council and European Commission (in no particular order) took care of this dossier, seemingly still oblivious of the fact that the Lisbon Treaty is changing the balance of Power in Brussels. When I talk about lobbying, I always say it boils down to 3 things, what I call the “3Ps”: People, Procedures and Power. Boy, did they get the Power bit wrong this time!

In honour of this historical decision, I couldn’t resist to dree Lino in an appropriate outfit:

Lino mimicking the attitude of the EP today facing the US, Council and Commission