On Wednesday 12 July, MEPs will be asked to vote on a joint draft resolution from the S&D, Renew Europe, Greens/EFA and The Left calling for real investigative powers for the future European ethics body (see EUROPE 13217/13).
In this draft resolution, the four groups criticise the lack of ambition in the Commission’s initial proposal that the future body should limit its work to defining common standards for ethics and integrity in European public life (see EUROPE 13197/14).
In their view, this body should instead be authorised to conduct investigations into individual cases at the request of a participating EU institution or body. These investigations would cover both people in political office and staff of a participating EU institution or body.
The four political groups also add that the future body must be empowered to issue recommendations for sanctions. These would become public once the institution or body’s final decision concerning one of its members has been taken.
In line with a previous European Parliament resolution of September 2021 (see EUROPE 12762/9), the four political groups recommend that the body should be composed solely of nine independent experts chosen for their skills and experience.
They hope that negotiations on the interinstitutional agreement on which the European ethics body will be based will be concluded by the end of 2023.
To see the joint draft resolution, go to https://aeur.eu/f/80d (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)