Strasbourg (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – EU Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee agreed for the confirmation hearings for all 26 EU Commissioners-designate to proceed.
MEPs in the Committee on Legal Affairs (JURI) finished the process of examining any conflicts of interest for the new Commissioners-designate concerning their respective portfolios. The process will now move with the confirmation hearings, as each Commissioner-designate will be heard in their respective committees following the calendar approved by the EU Parliament.
How did the legal affairs committee assess conflicts of interest?
As reported by to the press of EU Parliament, following the examination, Chair of the Legal Affairs Committee Ilhan Kyuchyuk (Renew, BG) stated: “The JURI Committee performed an impartial and in-depth examination of the declarations of interest of the Commissioners-designate, looking at potential conflicts of interests regarding the assigned portfolios. Whenever we considered the information incomplete, we requested further details to evaluate all relevant elements and reach our conclusions.”
How did Chair Ilhan Kyuchyuk address procedural concerns?
Further, she said that from a procedural point of view, some reasonable criticism of the legal framework can appear and “we will have the opportunity to analyse it and suggest amendments if needed. But today, I want to convey my gratitude to all Members of JURI for taking an active part in the process and protecting the interests not only of the Committee and Parliament – but also – the European citizens, through their thorough review of all data and information at our disposal. I am pleased that JURI, together with all other parliamentary committees, will now be able to focus on the confirmation hearings of Commissioners-designate.”
What is the role of the legal affairs committee in confirmation hearings?
According to the EU Parliament’s rules of procedure, the Legal Affairs Committee is tasked with evaluating each commissioner-designate’s potential or actual conflict of interests. This process is confidential and it is a precondition for a contender to take part in the hearing in the European Parliament. The Legal Affairs Committee must approve in writing the absence of any conflict of interest for the candidate to be attended by the relevant committee.
