17/04/24 (Agence Europe) – On Wednesday 17 April, the European Commission officially approved the agreement on the establishment of a first ever interinstitutional European Ethics Body that the participating EU institutions and bodies had finalised at the beginning of March (see EUROPE 13370/7). This agreement will provide for the participation of the Council of the EU as a full member, but the common standards on ethics and integrity that the future European Body will draw up will only concern the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs, who chairs the EU ‘Foreign Affairs’ Council. According to Daniel Freund (Greens/EFA, German), one of the European Parliament’s negotiators, the Commission has changed its position on the EU Council’s participation (see EUROPE 13383/3). According to MEPs, it should not be a full member of the Ethics Body if it does not genuinely apply the rules to its formations. On Thursday 25 April, the European Parliament will be asked to approve the Interinstitutional Agreement. (MB)