Brussels, 27/06/2016 (Agence Europe) - The resignation of the European Commissioner for Financial Services, Lord Jonathan Hill, on Saturday 25 June, did not really come as a surprise to anybody, as he had stated several times that he would be uneasy remaining in his position if the British voted for the United Kingdom to leave the European Union (see EUROPE 11580).
Had Lord Hill not decided to leave of his own volition, the members of the European Parliament would have shown him the door, according to a draft resolution to be voted on at an extraordinary plenary session of the European Parliament on Tuesday 28 June (see other article).
On Twitter, the chair of the committee on economic and monetary affairs of the EP, Italy's Roberto Gualtieri (S&D), thanked the outgoing Commissioner for the excellent cooperation they had enjoyed, adding that his departure was a further sad consequence of the result of the British referendum. Sylvie Goulard (ALDE, France) admired the dignity of his gesture. Sven Giegold (Greens/EFA, Germany) said that such a swift decision to step down commands respect. We will have to complete the Capital Markets Union without him, he added.
Hill said that with the EU and the United Kingdom entering a new phase in their relationship, he did not believe it is right that he should carry on as the British Commissioner as though nothing had happened. The outgoing Commissioner will remain in his post until 16 July, when the Vice-President of the Commission with responsibility for the Euro, Valdis Dombrovskis, will take over his portfolio. “I came to Brussels as someone who had campaigned against Britain joining the euro and who was sceptical about Europe. I will leave it certain that despite its frustrations, our membership was good for a place in the world and good for our economy. But what is done cannot be undone and now we have to get on with making a new relationship with Europe work as well as possible”, Hill said.
The President of the Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, said that he had tried to convince him to stay. He is prepared to hold urgent talks with the British government on a possible replacement for Lord Hill and the allocation of a possible portfolio. Certainly, any new Commissioner sent by London could no longer have responsibility for banking union, financial services or the capital markets union and would have to win the consent of the MEPs. (Original version in French by Elodie Lamer)