Brussels, 16/07/2014 (Agence Europe) - The members of the European Parliament approved the candidacy of all four new European commissioners who will take over from the commissioners elected to the European Parliament, until the new European Commission is put together in November of this year (see EUROPE 11122).
Following their hearings before the relevant parliamentary committees, the candidates got the go-ahead from the MEPs, on Wednesday 16 July, to take up their new positions (421 votes in favour, 170 against and 32 abstentions). Finland's Jyrki Katainen takes over the economic and monetary portfolio from Olli Rehn, Italian Ferdinando Nelli Feroci takes industry and entrepreneurship from Antonio Tajani, Luxembourg's Martine Reicherts will be responsible for justice and the fundamental rights instead of Viviane Reding and, lastly, Jacek Dominik of Poland will replace Janusz Lewandowski as commissioner.
The vote did not, however, go quite without a hitch, as the Greens wanted to vote for the commissioners individually rather than en masse, with a particular view to excluding the Finnish candidate, Mr Katainen. The request made to this effect by the joint leader of the Greens/EFA Group, Rebecca Harms, led to a vote on the modus operandi (vote for all four or individually). The Greens missed out on this request by just 20 votes. The Green joint leader spoke out against the “'en bloc' method chosen by the 'grand coalition'“, blocking “proper democratic controls and decision-making in full awareness of all the facts regarding the candidates”.
The Greens' reservations about Katainen relate to the best response to the crisis. “His political position, which favours economic liberalism, as was confirmed at his hearing before the committee on economic and monetary affairs of the EP, is exactly the opposite of what the EU needs”, said group joint leaders Rebecca Harms and Philippe Lamberts.
The European Parliament's approval of these four new individuals for the coming months puts an end to the temporary redistribution of the portfolios concerned among commissioners within the College, who have had two pairs of shoes to fill for a fortnight (Siim Kallas for economic and monetary affairs and the euro; Johannes Hahn for justice, fundamental rights and citizenship, Michel Barnier for industry and entrepreneurship, Andris Piebalgs for financial programming and the budget). (MD)