MEPs complete check on possible conflicts of interest of Commissioners-designate | News

MEPs in the Committee on Legal Affairs (JURI) concluded the procedure of examining any conflicts of interest for the new Commissioners-designate in relation to their respective portfolios. The process will now proceed with the confirmation hearings, as each Commissioner-designate will be heard in their respective committees in accordance with the calendar agreed by Parliament.

Declarations of interest submitted by the Commissioners-designate will become publicly available before the start of the confirmation hearings.

Quote

Following the examination, Chair of the Legal Affairs Committee Ilhan Kyuchyuk (Renew, BG) said: “The JURI Committee performed an impartial and in-depth analysis of the declarations of interest of the Commissioners-designate, looking at potential conflicts of interests with reference to the assigned portfolios. Whenever we deemed the information incomplete, we requested further details in order to assess all relevant elements and reach our conclusions. From a procedural point of view, some reasonable criticism of the legal framework can arise and we will have the opportunity to analyse it and suggest amendments, if needed. But today, I want to express my gratitude to all Members of JURI for taking an active part in the process and safeguarding 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 glad that JURI, together with all other parliamentary committees, will now be able to focus on the confirmation hearings of Commissioners-designate.”

Background

According to Parliament’s rules of procedure, the Legal Affairs Committee is responsible for assessing each commissioner-designate’ s potential or actual conflict of interests. This procedure is confidential and it is a precondition for a candidate to take part in the hearing in the European Parliament. The Legal Affairs Committee must confirm in writing the absence of any conflict of interest in order for the candidate to be heard by the relevant committee.