Nomination of the Commission: Learning the lessons of the Buttiglione affair

11.54.28am GMT Thu 1st Dec 2005

The European Parliament today adopted a report by Andrew DUFF (Lib Dem, UK) on the key steps to be taken in the approval process for the European Commission. "This report draws on the consequences of the Buttiglione affair, and codifies the procedure for the hearings of Commissioners", he explained. "Up to now, the system for the hearings was informal. It is time we put in place a procedure that is open, fair and consistent".

The main consequence of the crisis last autumn has been reflected in the new Framework Agreement between the Commission and Parliament -- notably that, if the Parliament withdraws its confidence in any individual member of the Commission, the President will either sack that member or come before the Parliament and explain why not.

The Duff Report goes further. It insists that each Commission-candidate discloses all relevant information to MEPs as to his or her professional capacity to do the job to which he or she is assigned.

The report sets out the Parliament's criteria for the assessment of candidates, including European commitment, general competence, and independence. A new stress is put upon the gender balance of the incoming team. The Report codifies the procedure of the approval process, the organisation of the hearings, and the written and oral questions; it deals with issues of transparency, and the decision-making process of each committee.

To achieve both greater clarity and coherence, it is proposed that a joint meeting of the Conference of Committee Chairs and the Conference of Presidents declares the hearings closed. "The opportunity for unseemly trade-offs between political parties will be reduced", says DUFF.

The Parliament is also asserting its right to follow the same procedure in the event of a casual vacancy in the Commission. And, finally, MEPs ask that the next parliamentary elections be brought forward from June to May 2009 in order to give more time to prepare for the approval of the new Commission.

DUFF said: "We have both, Commission and Parliament, learned a lot from our experience. By this tightened procedure, democratic accountability in the Union is much strengthened."

ENDS