Early on Monday evening (22 April), Parliament’s Committee on Constitutional Affairs (ECON) approved by a narrow majority the draft Interinstitutional Agreement establishing a Body for Ethical Standards, which eight EU institutions and bodies had finalised at the beginning of March (see EUROPE 13370/7, 13383/3).
Although this agreement is not as ambitious as they would have liked, the S&D, Renew Europe, Greens/EFA and The Left groups have approved it, considering it to be a step forward compared to the current situation. The Body, which should be in place by the start of the next parliamentary term, will establish common minimum standards for ethics and integrity in European public life. However, the EPP, ECR and ID groups voted against the text, with the EPP criticising the infringement of MEPs’ freedom of mandate.
In addition to the representatives of the institutions (European Parliament, Council of the EU, European Commission, Court of Justice of the EU, ECB, European Court of Auditors) and EU bodies (European Committee of the Regions, European Economic and Social Committee) party to the agreement, five independent experts will sit on the Body, which will have its secretariat in the European Commission. They will be empowered to assess any type of written declaration by political figures falling within the remit of the Body for Ethical Standards and to make recommendations on these declarations. It is then up to each participating EU institution and body to take account of these recommendations and incorporate them into its internal process.
The European Council, which withdrew during negotiations, will not be taking part in the agreement at this stage. The Council of the EU is a full member, but the common standards will only apply to the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, who chairs the Foreign Affairs Council. Much to Parliament’s dismay, ministers from the Member States, even those from the country holding the rotating Presidency of the EU Council, will not be covered by the remit of the Body.
On Thursday 25 April, the European Parliament plenary session still has to formally approve the Interinstitutional Agreement before Parliament’s position is definitive.
See the text of the agreement: https://aeur.eu/f/bwf (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)