On Friday 23 February, representatives of the European Union’s institutions and bodies will attempt to reach a political agreement on the shape of the future European Ethics Body (see EUROPE 13335/27).
“An agreement is possible, but it is not 100% certain”, said a European source on Wednesday 21 February.
Among the points still to be decided is the scope of the powers of the five independent experts who will complete the composition of the future body made up of representatives of the EU institutions and bodies. The European Parliament would like these experts to be empowered to verify, at the request of a Member, not only declarations of financial interest, but also other declarations, such as those relating to assets or meetings with interest groups.
Negotiations are also focusing on the rules that are to serve as a basis for the experts’ assessments: the future common standards to be drawn up by the European body or the existing rules within each institution, which could be more specific? Several EU institutions would like to stick to common European standards, which will take time to develop.
Furthermore, according to this source, the European Commission would like the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs not to be the only person covered by the scope of application on the EU Council side. It would envisage a system where, following the example of the European Transparency Register, a Member State would decide that certain ethical standards apply to its own representatives, particularly when it holds the Presidency of the EU Council.
If there is no rapid political agreement on the future European Ethics Body, it will be difficult for the Parliament to ratify the agreement before the end of the current legislative cycle. This would delay the setting up of the body. (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)