In a long written reply (62 pages) sent to MEPs on Tuesday 8 October, Internal Market Commissioner-designate Sylvie Goulard of France sought to give MEPs assurances of her integrity, mentioning her automatic resignation in the case of a conviction by a final judgement and a possible resignation in the case of indictment. However, the answer did not satisfy MEPs, leading to a second hearing on Thursday 10 October.
During her hearing on Wednesday 2 October, the Commissioner-designate was questioned at length by MEPs on the two cases that taint her candidacy: that of the possible fictitious employment of a former parliamentarian at local level and that of her paid activity with an American think tank during her parliamentary term (see EUROPE 12340/1).
Here, Mrs Goulard wanted to put an end to the debate about her integrity by stating in black and white, "that in agreement with the President, (she) commits to resign in the case that (she) is convicted by a final judgment for an offence relevant to the exercise of a public office". On the other hand, she remains more vague with regard to the indictment, relying on the decision of President-elect Ursula von der Leyen to determine the course of action to be followed.
A second hearing?
Her commitments did not completely reassure MEPs, particularly within the EPP, which should call for a second hearing at the coordinators' meeting on the morning of Wednesday 9 October, we are told.
Similarly, Mrs Goulard's assurances do not seem to satisfy the left of the Chamber, starting with the co-president of the GUE/NGL, France’s Manon Aubry. The latter regrets, on her Twitter account, the double standards, recalling that as Minister of the Armed Forces, Mrs Goulard had resigned "from the preliminary investigation to prove her good faith". And she concluded, "The European Union's expectations are therefore much lower..." Among the Greens/EFA, we are told that the same trend is emerging and that we are moving towards a request for a second hearing.
On the S&D side, things are less clear. The group is under very strong pressure. European Parliament President David Sassoli (S&D, Italy), visiting the Elysée in France, met with French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday 7 October. Some believe that Mrs Goulard's candidacy may have been discussed during their exchange.
Very detailed answers
On the substance, Mrs Goulard and her team sought to provide as much detail as possible, specifying the legislative texts that should be amended during her term of office and all the non-legislative actions that will be taken, theme by theme, often repeating in substance what she had said at the hearing, namely her commitment to the effective implementation of existing European rules by strengthening controls and establishing better cooperation between national authorities. Objective: deepen the internal market with a particular focus on SMEs (including the creation of an 'SME team' in DG Defence and Space Industry).
Some salient points are worth mentioning: on the Services Directive, Mrs Goulard asserts that she does not want to "re-open past wounds", but wants to strengthen the implementation of its provisions. However, she intends to update the e-Commerce Directive. But she makes no reference to the electronic card or the Notification Directive, which fell into limbo under the Juncker Commission's mandate (see EUROPE 12261/4).
Another point worth mentioning, which could prove controversial, is that the Commissioner says she wants to extend automatic recognition of diplomas to engineers and accountants. On the question of revising the competition rules and those on State aid, she suggested that the texts could be cleaned up, while pointing out that this was the responsibility of the Executive Vice-President, Margrethe Vestager, in charge of these matters (see EUROPE 12344/2).
In connection with the 'Dieselgate' scandal, as regards the asymmetry of treatment between American and European consumers regarding compensation, the Commissioner-designate has indicated that she wants to strengthen the rights of European consumers.
To consult her full written answers: https://bit.ly/35hS4Be (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens and Camille-Cerise Gessant)