On Wednesday 27 March, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, granted unpaid leave to the European Commissioner for Justice, Didier Reynders, so that he could campaign as a candidate for the post of Secretary General of the Council of Europe (see EUROPE 13379/23).
This unpaid leave will begin on Thursday 25 April and end on Tuesday 25 June, the date of the Parliamentary Assembly vote to elect a successor to Croatian Marija Pejčinović Burić for a five-year term.
At this stage, Ms von der Leyen has not designated the European Commissioner who will be responsible for holding the Justice portfolio within the College, for the duration of the campaign or perhaps longer, if the Belgian political leader is elected.
Mr Reynders has undertaken to refrain from participating directly or indirectly in any activity connected with the election campaign until 25 April. He will ensure that no such activities are carried out on his behalf and will take any additional measures necessary to avoid any perception of conflict of interest.
In accordance with the Code of conduct for Commissioners, during his unpaid leave, Mr Reynders will not be able to call on material or human resources to conduct his campaign.
In addition to Mr Reynders, the candidates for the post of Secretary General of the Council of Europe are the former President of the Swiss Confederation, Alain Berset, and the former Estonian Minister of Culture, Indrek Saar. (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)