Brussels, 01/10/2014 (Agence Europe) - Clearly at ease on questions about making life easier for companies in order to reduce obstacles to the internal market and her readiness to commit actively in favour of the anti-discrimination directive or the maternity leave directive, Vera Jourova from the Czech Republic, who has been assigned the portfolio on justice, consumers and gender equality, came across a little less convincingly on the nevertheless crucial issues that she will have to manage - such as the reform of personal data protection. These are issues which Jourova's predecessor, Viviane Reding focused on passionately, but they are issues on which Jourova did not seem ready to stamp her mark or have any ambition towards - at least on Wednesday 1 October - being content to commit, as regards the reform of the 1995 directive, to respecting the deadlines set for the negotiations with the Council to come to a successful end (the start of 2015).
For three hours, the Czech Republic's current minister for regional development - who will resign from her post this Thursday - will at any rate have tried to respond to the questions that were as numerous as they were disparate from the MEPs in the JURI, LIBE, IMCO and FEMM committees. Is the portfolio with which Juncker has entrusted Jourova, a 50-year lawyer, too vast? The question is being asked, and already concerns some MEPs like Claude Moraes, the chair of the civil liberties (LIBE) committee, who sees a possible “problem” here. Another difficulty for the MEPs from the LIBE committee is the “fragmentation” of the personal data issue between several commissioners - Jourova, Andrus Ansip and Gunther Oettinger, also involved in the issue.
It is not, therefore, so much Jourova's competence that was raised on Wednesday, as the breadth of tasks entrusted her, since the commissioner-designate actually came out of the exercise quite well. However, as Jourova was not always able to respond in detail to the issues ranging from the roadmap for LGTBI people to the product safety directive, to the representation of women on non-executive boards of companies and bankers' bonuses (some questions even focused on health standards and safety at work or the ISDS mechanism that is causing controversy in the TTIP agreement), the MEPs were due to assess their degree of satisfaction carefully on Wednesday evening. And for the chair of the IMCO committee, Vicky Ford, “the evening could be long”, as she said when coming out of the hearing, not certain of having received all the clarifications she was expecting.
One of the first notable points of Jourova's hearing is that economic growth and competitiveness will indeed be one of the objectives to be achieved over the next five years, as Jean-Claude Juncker wishes. In the justice section of her portfolio, this objective will be reflected, for example, in the continuation of work on company insolvency, on company law and on cross-border transfers of company seats. Removing existing barriers in the internal market and promoting a stable legal basis will also be priorities. Things must be made easier for citizens, too, through mutual recognition of public documents, a matter already tabled by Viviane Reding, and increasing confidence in the digital environment. Consumer confidence will also have to be enhanced when shopping online. On the consumers section, Jourova also said she was sure that the online dispute settlement platform would be up and running by the start of 2015 and available in all EU languages. She gave assurances that the means would be made available for this to happen. She will also do all she can to relaunch the dossier on European sales law, which terrifies the member states, persuaded as they are that this law will sound the death knoll of their national systems. Jourova will have to convince them that the 28th online sales system will be only optional, consumers still having the choice.
However, clearly there will be more than the economy and “people will be at the heart of everything”, Jourova stated from the outset. She pledged to work to address discrimination, particularly against the Roma, and to convince member states to set aside their prejudices over the cross-cutting anti-discrimination directive. Children and vulnerable people will continue to be central to justice initiatives, such as the directive on the rights of minors suspected of a crime. In advertising and in the consumers section, too, a study will be launched on vulnerable groups, possibly leading to legislation being proposed, she said.
Jourova will work hard to persuade the member states to withdraw the blocking minority on women on company boards and she will re-assess the practical aspects to show them the current injustices. In light of the extent of her portfolio, Jourova, however, pledged to make real progress on four issues: reform of personal data protection, the future European public prosecutor, to be operating by 2016, the place of women in society and product safety. (SP)