Emily O’Reilly, the European Ombudsman, sent a letter to the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, on Tuesday 14 July, asking for clarifications following her statements in the run-up to the Croatian elections.
In the light of this, it may suggest changes to the Code of Conduct for Commissioners, or even the creation of a separate Code of Conduct for the President of the institution.
The Ombudsman points out, among other things, that the code does not say to whom the President must declare her intention to participate in a national election campaign. “This suggests that there may be a need for a separate code of conduct for you as President”, says the Ombudsman.
Ms von der Leyen made headlines after she recorded an election clip in favour of the Croatian Conservative Party and its candidate, Andrej Plenkovic, on 5 July. As a result, the institution’s spokesperson acknowledged “errors” in the post-production of this clip.
To view the letter: https://bit.ly/2C60RMV (PH)