The institution has been in near-imperceptible decline for almost 20 years, thanks to the rise of the European Parliament and the way EU member governments have whittled away its authority while consolidating their own powers as the EU’s true legislators. Yet the head of the Commission is called upon to be the dynamic public face of Europe.
欧盟委员会主席是世界上最难当的。由于欧洲议会地位的上升以及欧盟各国政府在巩固自身作为欧盟实际立法者权力并且削弱委员会势力，欧盟委员会几乎以难以察觉地衰落已经将近二十年了。然而委员会主席却被要求成为欧洲积极有力的公共形象。